Psalm 119:25-32 - My soul clings to the dust; give me life according to your word! When I told of my ways, you answered me; teach me your statutes! Make me understand the way of your precepts, and I will meditate on
your wondrous works. My soul melts away for sorrow; strengthen me
according to your word! Put false ways far from me and graciously
teach me your law! I have chosen the way of faithfulness; I set
your rules before me. I cling to your testimonies, O Lord;
let me not be put to shame! I will run in the way of your commandments
when you enlarge my heart!
We
can hear the cry of the Psalmist here: my soul clings to the dust (v. 25).
The Psalmist is experiencing the lowest point of his life; his soul
metaphorically clinging to the dust – his life comes into contact with dust,
comes into contact with death itself, with the rubbish of life. He is at his
lowest point. In verse 28 he exclaimed: my soul melts away for sorrow. There
is something obviously painful and causing some sort of grieving. Not only is
he grasping at a straw for life his heart is pained by deep sense of sorrow –
sorrow that melts his soul. I have been there and I know how it feels like. The
sharp pain that stabs at your chest repeatedly can send shivers up your spine
and causes you to cling to the dust literally. In verse 31 the Psalmist pleaded
to the Lord to let him “not be put to shame.” Shame is the
most debilitating (devastating) thing that can happen to a person. It hurts a
person’s dignity as a human being; it hurts a person’s sense of significance,
self-image, and self-esteem.
We are not sure what he was going
through in his life at this point of time but we certainly can know that he was
hurting, he was in deep pain, and he was crying out to the Lord. The psalmist
appeals to the Word of God, probably the revelation of God’s Word, so that he
can gain life again. He was appealing to the revelational Word of God to
strengthen him; strength to overcome his grief, his shame, and his sorrow. He
wanted so much to run into the Word of God – the word that comforts, the word
that assures, and the word that is YES and AMEN!
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