In stanzas three and four of Psalm 119, we are reminded that those who are determined to walk in God’s way should expect to face trials of various kinds. While we are blessed to walk this path (v 1-8), and the time to begin is when we are young (v 9-16), the psalmist is honest about the challenges we will face. He calls himself “a sojourner on the earth” (v 19), for he knows he is only passing through this world for a short while, with little time to know and live by God’s Word. Those who belong to God will not feel at home in a world that does not know and honor Him. If you try to follow God, you may feel out of place; and the world is going to treat you like an alien, for that is what you are! But it’s one thing to not fit in, it’s worse to suffer “scorn and contempt” (v 22). Like Jesus, who endured false accusations and malicious slander, sometimes all we can do is take our cause to God, trusting Him to vindicate us in due time. In the next stanza, the soul of the psalmist “clings to the dust” (v 25). He feels utterly humiliated and brought low. Yet he prays, “I cling to your testimonies, O LORD” (v 31). Flattened by the opposition, he has nothing to hold onto except God and His Word. May it also be true of us, that whenever we are struck down, we simply increase our commitment to pleasing the LORD. Tears are flowing as the writer admits, “My soul melts away for sorrow.” Who can blame him? He has been rejected, insulted, and publicly disgraced. But instead of looking inward, the man of faith looks upward to God and His gracious promises. “Strengthen me according to Your word,” he prays (v 28). A good counselor can help when we feel discouraged. But the Bible itself is an inexhaustible source of “wise advice” (NLT) and its testimonies are the best of “counselors” (v 24). Unfortunately, many people are unable to see the “wondrous things” contained in God’s Word. Thankfully, He has given us His Spirit to do just that: not to make careful study of God’s Word unnecessary, but to make it effective. The Spirit works through the Word, so as we read and ponder it, we should humbly ask Him to be our teacher (v 18). When we search the Scriptures, the Scriptures will search us. To meditate on its truth is to examine our “ways” (v 26), so that we may put “false ways” far from us (v 29). The Word of God will keep us from being self-deceived and from deceiving others. We don’t examine it to decide what we will or will not accept. It examines us, showing what is acceptable or unacceptable to God. May our response be to “choose” His way and “run” in it! (v 30, 32). For further meditation: