Ps. 119:19

"I am a stranger on earth; do not hide your commands from me."

I've been meditating on this verse for a couple of days now as I've been reading through Psalm 119. This one has stuck with me pretty well. I understand what the psalmist means when he says he's a stranger on earth. It has been quite some time since I began to long for "home" with the understanding that "home" is not something to be found on this earth but rather in Heaven with Jesus. It's been quite some time since I started to be homesick for Heaven.

What struck me the most about this verse, however, is that what follows it immediately has to do with having access to God's word. It made me think, "Why? Why is the Word the psalmist's remedy to homesickness?" And maybe the answer is obvious, but I quickly realized that for the psalmist, God's word was like his "letters from home".

I love Scripture. I truly do, but I know I have a long way to go before it's truly my "letters from home" like it was for the Psalmist. But I pray that it will be that for me. Verse 16 of the same chapter ends with the psalmist's commitment: "I will not neglect your word." That is my prayer as well.