Psalms 119:19 I am a sojourner on earth, hide not thy commandments from me.
The Psalmist is making a statement of facts followed by a prayer request. He recognizes his essential identity. “I am a sojourner on earth… ‘ The lyrics and melody of the old song come to mind: “This world is not my home, I’m just a passing through, my treasures are laid up, somewhere beyond the blue…”
Jesus clearly defined our identity as ‘not of the world’ in John 15:19. “If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.”
Then, at the end of his life, Jesus prayed for us. Note again that the basis of His prayer for us is our identity. John 17:14-16 “I have given them thy word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I do not pray that thou shouldst take them out of the world, but that thou shouldst keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.” We ARE sojourners, aliens and exiles on this earth. Indeed, ‘this world is not our home…’ The Psalmist nailed it.
Therefore, he prays, “Hide not Thy commandment from me…” In some ways this prayer may seem a bit disrespectful. The notion that God would hide his word from us, making us seek it and look for it seems capricious. Why bother to even look?
However, I see this from another angle. I see a man who is afraid and dependent because of his ‘sojourner’ status. He knows that he is behind enemy lines, in a foreign land where he both doesn’t know the language and the culture and customs. He doesn’t want to fall or stumble and doesn’t want to deviate from God’s will and purposes. He doesn’t have the time or energy for games, or mysteries or for seeking. He needs pinpoint, fast guidance to keep him from stumbling and to guide his steps. So, he shoots up this prayer, “Hide not Thy commandments from me…”
I pray that the desperate nature of this prayer would reflect your thinking today. I pray that you would take the time to ‘recalibrate your identity’ to bring it in line with spiritual truth: we are sojourners on this earth. We are NOT of this world. We are aliens, strangers and exiles here on earth. Because this is our condition and current ‘station’ in life, we pray, “HIDE NOT THY COMMANDMENTS” from us.
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