Psalm 119: Love of Structure

We have arrived! The longest psalm! You might have heard this before, but in addition to being super long, this psalm also has some amazing structural components that the author took time to construct. The psalm is what is called an "acrostic" poem- meaning the beginning of each section starts with a letter that when paired with the other beginning letters, creates a message. In the case of this psalm, the acrostic that is made is the Hebrew alphabet. As an aspiring poet myself, it's pretty amazing to see how beautiful structure can be.

This psalm is a testament to the power of the Word of God to His people, both through it's literal message and through the message that the structure communicates. It is the Word of God in all it's beauty, intricacy, and it's truth.

I know I sometimes balk at structure. We have a tendency (especially in today's culture!) to want things to be "organic," our word for "let things just spontaneously happen." But the truth is, God can be found just as much in order as he can be found in creative chaos, His truth is equally represented in both. In the accountant and in the artist.

This is not to say that the artist does not have his own structure- it just wouldn't look like structure to the accountant.

But if I limit myself to experiencing only the side of God that is easy for me to understand- the side of organic, free-spirited creativity- I am missing out on an entire aspect of God's character!

He is, after all, the one who made everything. Who just "thought up" gravity? Who came up with time? He could've made all the universe and the world with one blink of an eye, but He arranged His creation-act into days. It makes me think He had a checklist- "Okay, today...I made land and water. Check." I think it's pretty safe to say that God is organized.

I hope that this encourages some of you who think you are less because you don't see yourself as "creative." That you just aren't the "Pinterest Mom," or the super cool guy who plays all the instruments, or even the most original idea-junkie. God is sometimes best seen through the organization and structure of our lives. Through order as well as mystery.

Today, let's look for Him in measurements- in minutes and in miles. In Word documents and Excel spreadsheets. In a grocery list. In the things we normally find mundane, or at worst, hardly notice. God is there.