Sunday, February 5, 2023

Today’s Scripture Reading 
Psalm 119:1–8

Happy are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord.

Happy are those who keep his decrees, who seek him with their whole heart,

who also do no wrong, but walk in his ways.

You have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently.

O that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes!

Then I shall not be put to shame, having my eyes fixed on all your commandments.

I will praise you with an upright heart, when I learn your righteous ordinances.

I will observe your statutes; do not utterly forsake me. (NRSV)

Reflection
What was the distance between the psalmist’s intentions and his outcomes, I wonder? It’s clear that the author knows what is required to be in right relationship with God: walk in God’s ways, keep God’s decrees, seek God with one’s whole heart, do no wrong, and keep God’s statutes. What is also clear is that the psalmist experiences frustration at falling short: “O that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statues!” Right there with you, brother.

Knowing that he falls short, the psalmist resolves to do the following: praise God with an upright heart, learn God’s righteous ordinances, and observe God’s statutes. To this resolution, he adds an appeal: “Do not utterly forsake me.” Boy, do I feel for the psalmist, as he so desperately yearns to honor God, and hopes that God won’t lose patience with him in his attempts. My hope is that his sentiments reflected the hyperbolic utterances of a consummate perfectionist; that he was “almost” blameless, but could stand to “tweak” a few areas, or “brush up” on his knowledge of the Torah.

Sometimes what might make us uncomfortable about the Bible is not that it feels remote, ancient, and foreign, but that it hits too close to home. Each of us, when confronted with our own human frailty, yearns for God’s mercy—for the Lord to give us a little more time, faith, patience, energy, and commitment, to be better followers.

Thanks be to God that the good news—the gospel—is that we are not “lost causes.” Neither was the psalmist. When our hearts are in the right place—centered in God, that is—God’s mercy is ever-present as we wrestle with the process of becoming all that God intends for us to be.

Prayer
With gratitude in our hearts, loving God, we praise you for your patient presence with us, even when we fall short in our efforts to serve you more faithfully. We seek your grace and your guidance as we grow and mature in you. Amen.

Written by Nancy Benson-Nicol, Associate Pastor for Caring Ministries and Spiritual Formation

Reflection and Prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church

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