Last day of my “31 days of psalms” – whoo-hoo! It’s a lot easier keeping my own personal journal of my Psalms readings, as opposed to writing out my thoughts here. I’ve been trying to eliminate Christian jargon from my vocabulary when talking about Psalms – and it’s a lot harder than I expected. Anyway, here are my thoughts from the 16 verses I’ve read over the past two days…

I have more insight than all my teachers,
for I meditate on your statutes.

I have more understanding than the elders,
for I obey your precepts. (Psalm 119:99-100)

These verses remind us that being “spiritual” does not mean simply having an extensive knowledge of God’s teachings. The poet talks about knowing more than his teachers and elders because he MEDITATES and OBEYS God’s teachings – those words indicate that he does more than just memorize words for the sake of recitation and memorization. He internalizes the words, mulls them over, soaks in them, and then – most importantly – lives them out. *That* is what God wants.

Happy new year’s eve everyone! May you ring in 2010 with a relaxing, fun, memorable, and safe evening! Assuming the rain doesn’t pour down, Matt and I are heading downtown to watch the fireworks at the Space Needle. Crowds, cold weather, maybe some rain – oh what fun!

If your law had not been my delight,
I would have perished in my affliction. (Psalm 119:92)

I like how this doesn’t say that if God’s law had not been his delight, he would have been afflicted. Instead, it says that if God’s law had not been his delight, he would have PERISHED in his affliction. So it’s not a matter of not experiencing suffering or challenges if you obey God. It’s not like that at all, no matter what some preachers say. And it’s not about people undergoing hardships as a direct consequence of not obeying God.

It’s saying that staying focused on God and what He tells us is best for us is the best way to have the right attitude when going through afflictions. Otherwise, it would be too easy to focus on the wrong things – perhaps things that will only be a quick fix or not even a fix at all.

For the past few months, I’ve been going through Psalms on my own, but also with two other friends. Our almost-daily e-mails sharing about what we’ve learned have turned into less frequent e-mails, but we’re still independently going through the book. One thing we’ve come to learn is that many chapters in Psalms are similar, so it’s hard to always have something to comment about.

So that is the case here. The 16 verses that I just read once again deal with the writer’s love for God’s law. And for the most part, he writes in almost desperation, like his life depends on his trust in God. It’s almost overly dramatic, but it seems to work for him.

My soul faints with longing for your salvation,
but I have put my hope in your word. (vs. 81)

Tough words to live by:

I have sought your face with all my heart (Psalm 119:58)…Though the arrogant have smeared me with lies, I keep your precepts with all my heart (vs. 69)…The law from your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold (vs. 72)

Selfishness, self-righteousness, and pride make it really hard for me to live by these words. To live how God would want us to live would mean a life of trust, joy, confidence, wisdom, and patience. Unfortunately, it’s too easy, and too much of a habit, for me to take control and want to do what would make me happy, even if it isn’t what is best for myself.

My favorite verse from this bunch:

In the night I remember your name, O LORD, and I will keep your law. (vs. 55).

The nighttime is hard for me, especially when I lay down to sleep and my mind is flooded with things. Sometimes it’s just a to-do list, but sometimes I start to worry about certain things. As such, this verse resonates with me and reminds me to remember that God instructs me not to be anxious, to not be angry, to not be judgmental. And when I am left only to my thoughts at night, I need that reminder.

This verse reminds me of an earlier Psalm that I really liked – Psalm 42:8 which says, “By day the Lord directs his love, at night his song is with me…” His SONG is with me, like a parent singing his child to sleep with a lullaby. I love it!

(BTW, these photos have nothing to do with what I’m writing…I’m just posting random Christmas shots we’ve been taking around the house. ;) )

P.S. For those of you who have ornaments dating back to elementary school, you’ll appreciate this article.

Wow, I actually did it. I braved the crowds at Costco and the grocery store WITHOUT losing my temper. For someone who hates crowds – on the road and in general – this was a huge accomplishment. I had a long list of things to buy for tomorrow’s dinner, but also for our own meals, that would take me to Costco, Winco, and Ranch 99. Before I left, Matt said, “Now, there are going to be a lot of stupid people – ” (“I hate stupid people,” I cut in) “- out there, so try to stay calm and don’t get in a bad mood. Because if you get in a bad mood, you’re going to come back home and take it out on me.” Funny, but sadly true.

I took several alternate routes, doing my best to avoid the main Southcenter Mall area, where everyone was bound to be going for last-minute gifts. Surprisingly, all the places I went to weren’t too bad. They were crowded, but not exceptionally crowded – and I’m sure it helped that I was there at 1 p.m. rather than after work hours. I sang along to Christmas music in the car, keeping myself focused on the baby in the manger, and goodwill toward all men (even those driving while talking or texting on their cell phones). I talked ham with other women in the ham aisle, as we all wondered which type to get. I took a breather in Winco’s surprisingly empty cereal aisle (usually one of the busiest). And even when I took a wrong turn and got on Hwy 167 going north – and an accident had slowed all the traffic down – I stayed calm even though 20 minutes was wasted.

Whenever I started to feel stressed about how much time I was losing, I began listing things I was thankful for – a day off to run errands, good health to be able to do a lot of things I enjoy, our jobs in a difficult economy, financial ability to buy all the stuff I was buying, my own car to get me around, good friends to spend Christmas with, a house to host people in, family who we miss (and are missing us) back in California, and beautiful sunny weather (although a white Christmas would be nice). There were so many things I was thankful for, and I knew that I couldn’t let some wrong turns and traffic get me in a bad mood. I seriously need to remember that in the future.

Well, off to do stuff in the kitchen. Hope you’re all doing well this Christmas eve…

From verses 17-48, this is the one that jumps out at me:

My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your word. (Psalm 119:28)

I like the idea of being strengthened according to God’s word. Anyone can find temporary strength and comfort in things like food, a happy distraction, or the company of friends. But I believe that true comfort from sorrow comes from God – it goes deeper than any of the other things I listed. It’s not bad for you (like junk food), it’s not temporary (like the distraction), and it’s always there (unlike friends who still have their own separate lives).

In my old-school Student Bible, there’s a note about chapter 119 that was insightful:

Psalm 119 is a long, passionate love poem about God’s law. How do you fall in love with law? Most people admit that rules are necessary, and appreciate them grudgingly. But no one writes love poems to the federal drug abuse statutes.

The word translated “law” doesn’t merely mean rules. It expresses the totality of God’s written instructions. The poet sees life full of uncertainties, of enemies, of pain. But God has given a reliable guide for living – like pavement underfoot after you have been stuck in mud. Obeying God’s law, to the psalmist, is no slavery – rather it is freedom. “I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free” (verse 32).

God’s laws channel God’s love into the poet’s life. They protect him from doing wrong, give him wisdom to understand his situation. They make new life flow into him. No wonder he writes with such thankfulness. In God’s word he finds more than direction. He finds God himself.

Last year around this time, Seattle was hit with a massive snowstorm that basically immobilized the city. People were homebound or got around only on foot. Fortunately, we left for LA right before it got bad. Even before we left, we managed to get our car stuck at the bottom of our street, with no chance of getting it back into the garage. (Read about our ordeal here.)

We left the car parked in front of a neighbor’s house, and it wasn’t until just a few days ago that they e-mailed us a picture of my car in the snow last December. So cute! I know it was a pain for people who were around last year, but I totally wouldn’t mind a white Christmas. :)

Twas two days before Christmas,
and all through the halls
Many cubicles are empty,
no voices making calls…

(Is your office as empty as mine is?)