“My life is down in the dust; give me life through your Word.” ~ Psalm 119:25
If there is one area of our Christian lives where we could probably dig deeper, it may be our prayer life. But perhaps even more neglected and underutilized is the Word of God.
How do we come out of the valleys of life? How do we find our way through the storms? The psalmist gives us an answer: “Give me life through your Word.”
When David says that his life is down in the dust, he is describing a place of being driven very low – down as far as he can go, almost to the point of simply existing in default mode. There are miserable people all around us who are desperately looking for relief, but often in all the wrong places. David knows where life is found. He turns to God and His Word.
We were designed for a life with the Lord.
The Bible is not ultimately about us. We are not the point of Scripture, and its stories are not invitations for us to simply insert ourselves into the narrative. The point of the Bible is to point us to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Nor is the Word of God merely a tool for correcting other people: “The Bible says you should do this,” or “You shouldn’t do that.” Certainly, we are called to live as Christians, but Scripture is not primarily given so that we can tell others how to behave. Neither is it given to strengthen our political positions or prove that our side is right. The Word of God is living, and its purpose is to turn our hearts toward God.
The living Word penetrates us. It searches us and exposes what needs to be changed. It can be like a surgeon removing a cancerous growth. The cutting may hurt, but the surgeon cuts because something is bringing death – and removing it brings life.
That is what God’s Word does. It enters into us, searches us and cuts away the things that are leading us toward death. And through it, God brings us to life.
The living Word speaks to the living spirit. And for the one who is spiritually dead, the Word begins the work of bringing life.
The answer to a soul down in the dust is not simply to try harder or look for relief somewhere else. It is to come to the living God through His living Word. As we enter His Word, He draws us into deeper relationship with Himself – and there, He give us life.
“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”
~~ Psalm 119:105
