Text – Psalm 19:

The law of the Lord is perfect,
reviving the soul;
the decrees of the Lord are sure,
making wise the simple;
8 the precepts of the Lord are right,
rejoicing the heart;

the commandment of the Lord is clear,
enlightening the eyes;
9 the fear of the Lord is pure,
enduring forever;
the ordinances of the Lord are true
and righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than gold,
even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey,
and drippings of the honeycomb.

Lenten Meditation:

Psalm 19 journeys from the Outer World of the creation which is, by its existence, beauty, and order, praising God, to the inner world of the worshiper speaking about and dwelling on God. It is good to be included in the texts for Lent because of the way it promotes meditation and reflection on the road to Calvary.

Fitting comfortably in two parts, the Psalmist directs us (1-6) first to think about the way that the Creation wordlessly points to divine will and causality. Without words, the beautiful Creation elicits our praise.

In the second part (7-10) the Psalm dwells on the beauty of the Law. The Psalmist uses five phrases to tell us about the scope of the Law.

It revives the soul.

It makes one wise.

It rejoices the heart.

It enlightens the eyes.

The Psalmist concludes the Psalm by asked that the Psalmist’s spoken words as well as his inner thoughts be pleasing to God. In this Lenten season it is good to think about the content of our hearts as well as the place that God occupies in our lives.

Prayer:

Creator of our world and the perfect law. Purest of the poor. Wisest of the wise. We fall down before you, hearing the worship of the heavens and the praises of your Word. We pray that you work the same beauty in us as you did in the creation. May our lives point to you and bring worship to you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.