School-Day Routine

It's the perfect back-to-school morning. Cool, cloudy, windy. My alarm went off for an hour before I finally got up. The smell of a brewing pot of coffee is wafting up to my nostrils. Ahhh. Yes, things are beginning to return to that school-year routine.

Over the last week, I have been reading through Psalm 119. I've never been so amazed or so convicted by the words of this psalm. I encourage you to take time to read it through this week - but take your time, letting the truths of the words you read sink in. As I've spent time in this psalm, I've noticed a pattern. In every verse, one line deals with the law or word of God, while the other line deals with the psalmist personal situation: whether difficulty, joy, or desire to learn. How different do you think our lives would look if we brought absolutely everything to the Lord? If we viewed every situation as something to cry out to the Lord about? What if we lived in constant communion with the Lord, the way He desires us to, instead of simply spending only a certain amount of time with Him daily?

In Psalm 119:81-82a, the psalmist writes, "My soul languishes for your salvation; I wait for Your word. My eyes fail with longing for Your word . . . " Does our soul languish - pine with desire and longing (dictionary.com definition) - after the salvation of the LORD? Do we silently wait before the Lord as we spend time in His Word, or do we just read what we should, pray, and then move on with our day?

As we prepare to re-enter the world of classes, textbooks, highlighters, notes, and sleepless nights; as we get into the schedule of class - work - homework - sleep - class - work - homework - sleep; as we get to sick of looking at words we can't read anymore . . . . let's not let our time with the LORD simply fall into a routine.