“I am a sojourner on the earth;
hide not your commandments from me!” Psalm 119.19
The psalmist continues in this section (17-24) to pray as one longing to live according to God’s Word in the midst of a fallen world. This verse provides a deepening of the plea in the previous verse. He pled for the Lord to open his eyes to behold biblical truth. Here, he shows the depth of that need.
He is a sojourner—a stranger—on this earth. His devotion to God makes him distinct from the world around him. Because of this, he desperately needs God’s guidance. He will get no help from the world, which only seeks his destruction. His only help, his only guidance along life’s dangerous paths, comes from the Lord. The psalmist recognizes this and calls out to God for help, for God to make his Word clear, to not hide his commandments.
The people of God cannot be at home in the world. We are strangers, citizens of a heavenly kingdom. We must not allow the ways of the world cloud our view of biblical truth.
Friend, do you recognize your need as a stranger in this world? How are you accepting the wisdom of the world, allowing it to obscure your vision of God’s Word? In what ways are you searching for biblical wisdom, crying out for God to reveal it to you?
Heavenly Father, we long to be with you, to have full sight of you. Guide us while we live as sojourners on this earth. Help us to see your truth that we might live to your glory.