Like the Wind

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Your Word, Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens. Your faithfulness continues through all generations; you established the earth, and it endures.  
Psalm 119: 89-90

I don't believe in "magic," but something a little like magic sometimes seems to happen to me when I meditate on passages in the Bible. 

I say "sometimes" because it doesn't always happen.  Many times when I read the Bible I don't "feel" the "magic." 

And I say "seems" to happen because what happens is so subtle, so internal, so apparently outside of the realm of reason that I'm never quite sure where it comes from or even what it's doing.  

As I write those words, I'm reminded of what Jesus said to Nicodemus about the Holy Spirit: "The wind blows wherever it pleases.  You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going.  So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."

What if it's the sweet wind of the Spirit that's wafting through my heart when I "feel" that "magic" while reading God's Word?

Psalm 119 works this kind of magic on my spirit.  When I take the time to meditate on this worship song, the sense that my mind is untwisting and my heart is re-orienting toward God is so strong it's almost tangible.  Without fail, when I go to this Psalm, I come away with a renewed sense of what is right and a deeper longing to share the Psalmist's love for his God.

This experience is something so subjective I find it hard to write about.   I'd like to give a specific example of a particular verse and explain just how it affects me, but I can't.  I guess some things of God are so deep--so spiritual--that they're beyond verbal description.

Sometimes I think it would be nice if I could capture the Spirit of God, put Him in a box, or pin Him down to a display board where I could study Him at my leisure, make notes, and write up a research report on "the topic." 

But, no, that wouldn't be so nice.  If I could do that, I would be God and He would not be.  And that would be a tragedy beyond imagining.

Some of my favorite verses in Psalm 119

I have hidden your word in my heart
    that I might not sin against you. (vs. 11)
Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law. (vs. 18)
I run in the path of your commands, 
    for you have set my heart free. (vs. 32)

Am I alone in my experience of this spiritual phenomenon?  
Have you experienced anything like it? 
What are your favorite verses in this Psalm?

I'd love to hear your comments on this topic.

Matthew Henry's commentary on Psalm 119 makes for a good study of the Psalm. 

In researching for this post, I also found a great site on Bible study in general.  
Check out Got Questions? 

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