Psalm 119:20
My soul is consumed with longing for your rules at all times. Psalm 119:20
Take careful notice of the wording of this verse. The subject is “soul” modified by the word “my” to show identity. My soul is the deepest part of me that lives throughout eternity. My soul will spend eternity either in the presence of God or in the absence of God.
Then it gets more specific by saying “is consumed with longing.” It does not yet say the object of the longing. It just makes the general statement that “my soul is consumed with longing.” Looking at this beginning phase, it is as if the Psalmist is saying, “No matter what — your soul is going to be consumed with longing!” Paul Tripp would say something similar when saying we are “idol factories.”
So, we have not completed the first half of this verse and it is worth noting that my soul is consumed with longing for something…
Let us take the next steps… What is the object of the longing, “for your rules.” Whose rules? God’s rules!
Bringing this together with the fact that I am made in the image of God, this is saying that I am an image-bearer in the way that “my soul is consumed with longing for your rules.” This is one way I image God; by longing for His rules, His direction, His guidance.
The verse ends with the bold proclamation that this is going on “at all times.” It is never-ending. Even if I wanted my soul to stop, it could not.
My soul is consumed with longing for your rules at all times.
To summarize, my never-ending soul is and will forever be consumed with longing for the rules of the Creator God into eternity.
That is a pretty incredible statement. No wonder I get confused in this temporary world. No wonder I feel things like anxiety, fear, and depression. This verse is saying I have a soul that never loses sight of God’s rule, but I live in a fallen, broken, distracted temporary world.
My world and this verse do not match.
Perhaps – I was made for this verse but not for this world? Maybe – this verse is right, and my world is not?
No matter where you find yourself as an image bearer in this fallen broken world, Burke Care is here for you. We know what it is like to feel out-of-sync, lost, and at times hopeless. We would love to meet you where you are on this journey and walk alongside you towards soul satisfying redemption. Let us walk and find rest together!
