“No ifs, ands or buts”
By Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Meditation – Wednesday, April 24, 2024
Psalm 119:49-72 (Forward, p. 86) CEV p. 630
As is normal with this acrostic psalm, its author repeats a number of words that refer to God’s utterances, His word, His laws, His commands, His teachings, His Law and His promises. It is in today’s small segment that the word ‘promise’ shows up repeatedly. So, let us see for a moment what the psalmist has to say about it:
-he depends upon it.
-he tells us that God’s promises lead to life, and that when he is
hurting, he finds comfort in it.
-he recalls it and reminds God of it.
-he remembers that God has always kept His promise to treat him
with kindness.
Yoked with this word, promise, we often see the word, ‘because’:
-he finds true comfort because God’s laws have stood the test of
time.
-God has blessed him because he has always followed God’s
teachings.
-when God corrected him, it did him good because it taught him to
study God’s laws.
There is one other ‘little’ word, the word ‘but’ that also shows up repeatedly in this section. Often it refers to the psalmist’s response to outside forces, outside people, that are anything but conducive to a life of faith:
“Conceited people sneer at me, but I obey your Law” (verse 51).
“Evil people may set a trap, but I obey your Law” (verse 61).
“My reputation is being ruined by conceited liars, but with all my heart I follow your teachings” (verse 69).
“Those liars have no sense, but I find happiness in your Law” (v. 70).
Our psalmist is utterly dedicated to knowing and following God’s law and ways. This is brought out in yet another ‘but’:
“Once you corrected me for not obeying you, but now I obey” (v. 67).
Indeed, throughout this psalm we find that its author takes great pains to study, learn, and understand God’s laws and teachings, and moreover, to put them into practice and obey them. This is a good model for all of us.
Forward notes: “Remember your word to your servant, because you have given me hope” (verse 49).
When a favourite aunt retired, she began volunteering time to support various community activities, including her church, the public library, and reading with elementary school children. My aunt has interesting reports on her role as a servant as she came to understand God’s Word more fully. One morning she arrived spruced up and eager to begin reading with Lucinda, a first-grade girl. Before starting, she asked if Lucinda had any questions. Lucinda asked, ‘Why do you wear lipstick on your teeth?’
“After a brief pause to cover her embarrassment, my aunt said, ‘I was so excited to come read with you today that I used too much lipstick.’ Lucinda replied, ‘When we made Valentine’s cards yesterday, I had so many hearts there wasn’t enough room for them.’ She showed my aunt a Valentine’s card with hearts stuck all over the card and out beyond the edges.
“One of many things I’ve learned from my aunt is that God speaks in unexpected voices.”
Moving Forward: “When has God spoken to you in an unexpected voice?”