A fly crawled across a poster on the wall. It paused, almost thoughtfully, before tasting the fresh grey paint.
“This smells and tastes unusual,” the fly might have been thinking.
The poster read:
TRUST. OBEY. FOLLOW.
The fly, of course, had no idea what those words meant.
But perhaps you do.
Dear reader, do you know what that poster means?
The grey steel door was solidly locked. The white concrete walls, once covered with graffiti, obscenities and hateful messages, had been painted over. Now, instead of foul language, the walls displayed words of hope and instruction.
The two young men had painted them. Light grey paint was the only colour allowed.
The prison guards had given them paint and brushes when they asked. The two convicted men had paid for the paint from their meagre prison income. Slowly, they had transformed their cell.
They sat opposite one another in the harsh surroundings of a high-security prison. Both were serving long sentences. Both carried the consequences of decisions they could never undo.
Yet something inside them had changed.
They had become Christians. They had confronted their sin, their transgressions and their iniquities. They had discovered forgiveness, but they had also discovered something else:
Forgiveness does not always remove consequences.
The walls could be painted.
The words could be changed.
The men could be changed.
But the past could not simply be erased.
Their situation was like a knot pulled so tight that no human hand seemed capable of undoing it.
Only One could loosen it.
John Blaston had been convicted of murder.
His cellmate, Peter Langdon, had also travelled a long and painful road of crime, rebellion and destructive choices.
But something had changed.
They were no longer the men who had entered prison.
Both had encountered Christ. Both had been confronted by their sin, transgressions and iniquities. Both had come to understand that being “born again” did not erase the consequences of the past, but it could completely change the person they would become.
They were broken men—but they were becoming new men. Transformed men.
John sat quietly with an open Bible on his knees.
“Psalm 119,” he said.
Peter looked across at him.
“What about it?”
John turned the pages slowly.
“I have been reading about David and the testimonies of God. He keeps talking about God’s Word, God’s laws, God’s commandments, God’s statutes and God’s precepts. He seems obsessed with understanding how God works.”
Peter sat up.
“Maybe that’s what we never understood.”
“What?”
“The ways of God.”
John looked at him.
Peter continued.
“If we had only known God’s ways when we were young—if somebody had taught us how God fashions people, how our choices shape our lives, and what happens when we continually break His laws—we might have made different decisions.”
John looked down at the Bible.
“You can break God’s laws,” he said quietly, “but eventually those laws break you.”
Peter nodded.
“You’re right. We are paying for it now.”
John continued:
“If I had known the testimonies—the stories of what happened to people who obeyed God and what happened to people who rebelled—if I had understood His commandments, statutes, precepts and instructions, and the consequences of ignoring them, perhaps my life would have been different.”
Peter sighed.
“Wasted years. Wasted years. Oh, how foolish we were.”
John closed his eyes.
“If someone had just taught us God’s ways when we were young…”
He paused.
“…perhaps we wouldn’t have ended up in this place.”
David: A student of God’s patterns
IMAGE. Artwork: Acrylic painting: Title: “Your Way is in the Tabernacle.”
This is one of the powerful ideas running through Psalm 119.
David does not merely want to know about God.
He wants to understand the ways of God.
He studies God’s testimonies.
He remembers what God has done.
He examines God’s judgments.
He meditates on God’s law.
He considers His commandments.
He treasures His statutes.
He seeks His precepts.
In other words, David is looking for a pattern.
He is asking:
How does God work?
What does God value?
What happens when people obey Him?
What happens when people rebel?
What can I learn from the lives of those who have gone before me?
This is remarkably close to what Gary Keesee describes when he uses the expression “spiritual scientist.” Keesee explains that he began reading biblical stories differently, asking questions such as Why did that happen? Why didn’t that happen? What principles are revealed in this story? He describes studying Scripture’s stories to discover the principles and laws operating in God’s Kingdom.
That is a fascinating way to approach Scripture.
A spiritual scientist does not merely read a Bible story and move on.
He investigates.
He observes.
He asks questions.
He searches for principles.
He looks for patterns.
He examines consequences.
He asks:
What can this story teach me about the way God works?
“Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary”
There is another remarkable statement in the Psalms:
“Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary: who is so great a God as our God?”
— Psalm 77:13, KJV
This verse is from Psalm 77, traditionally attributed to Asaph rather than David. The verse can also be understood as declaring that God’s way is holy.
The idea is important for our study.
There is a way of God.
God is not random.
His character is consistent.
His principles are consistent.
His Word reveals His ways.
His dealings with humanity reveal His ways.
The stories of Scripture reveal His ways.
And when we carefully examine these testimonies, we begin to see patterns.
Joseph’s life teaches us something.
Moses’ life teaches us something.
David’s life teaches us something.
Saul’s life teaches us something.
Samson’s life teaches us something.
The Israelites teach us something.
Peter teaches us something.
Judas teaches us something.
The people of the Bible become living lessons.
Some demonstrate what happens when people trust God.
Others demonstrate what happens when people reject His instructions.
The Bible therefore becomes more than a collection of ancient stories.
It becomes a library of testimonies.
1. Testimonies — learn from what God has already done
Psalm 119:71–87 repeatedly points David back to what God has revealed.
By verse 79, David specifically speaks of those who know God’s testimonies.
A testimony is more than a statement.
It is evidence.
It is a record of what has happened.
It tells us:
“This is what God did.”
The biblical testimonies therefore become lessons for future generations.
Consider Joseph.
Joseph was betrayed by his brothers, sold into slavery, falsely accused and imprisoned. Yet God was working through circumstances Joseph could not understand.
The story teaches us something about perseverance, integrity, forgiveness and divine providence.
Then consider Moses.
Moses experienced failure, exile, confrontation with Pharaoh, wilderness, opposition and enormous responsibility. His life teaches us about obedience, leadership, dependence upon God and the consequences of rebellion.
The testimonies tell us:
Look carefully. Learn from what happened before you.
David understood this.
He was studying the history.
He was studying the evidence.
He was studying the dealings of God with humanity.
And that is something Christians should recover.
We should become students of Scripture.
2. “It is good for me that I have been afflicted”
One of the most confronting statements in Psalm 119 is found in verse 71:
“It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.”
David does not say that affliction feels good.
He says that something good came from it.
Affliction became a classroom.
The valley became a workshop.
The difficult season became a place of formation.
This is one of the great paradoxes of spiritual development:
God can use the very places we would rather escape to shape us into the people He wants us to become.
Earlier in Psalm 119, David says:
“Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word.”
— Psalm 119:67
Here the connection becomes even clearer.
David recognises that his behaviour had consequences.
He had gone astray.
But affliction became a turning point.
It brought him back to the Word.
This does not mean that every hardship is punishment for a particular sin. Scripture does not allow us to make such a simplistic conclusion.
But David does recognise something deeply important:
God can use suffering, correction and difficult circumstances to form character.
The valley can become a place of transformation.
3. Laws — God’s boundaries are designed for life
Verse 72 makes a remarkable comparison:
“The law of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver.”
David has discovered something that our culture often forgets.
God’s laws are not merely restrictions.
They are instructions for life.
A loving designer provides boundaries because the boundaries protect the purpose of the design.
Think about an electrical circuit.
The designer establishes parameters.
The components have limits.
If those limits are ignored, the system can fail.
Human beings are similar.
God designed us.
Therefore, His instructions matter.
When we ignore His design principles, there are consequences.
When we live according to His design, we discover a different kind of freedom.
The question is not simply:
“Can I do this?”
The better question is:
“What will this do to me?”
That is the question of spiritual wisdom.
4. Commandments — obedience is more than information
David repeatedly speaks about God’s commandments.
By verse 86 he declares:
“All thy commandments are faithful.”
The commandments of God are not merely information to memorise.
They require a response.
Knowing God’s Word without obeying it can become another form of self-deception.
David wants God’s Word to shape his thinking, his choices and his behaviour.
This is where spiritual formation becomes practical.
We can know the commandment and still choose rebellion.
We can understand the principle and still ignore it.
We can know the consequences and still walk towards them.
The purpose of Scripture is not simply to make us knowledgeable.
It is to make us wise.
5. Statutes — God’s pattern becomes a lifestyle
Psalm 119:80 says:
“Let my heart be sound in thy statutes; that I be not ashamed.”
Notice the word heart.
David does not merely want God’s statutes written on a page.
He wants them established within him.
This is spiritual design at its deepest level.
God is not simply modifying David’s external behaviour.
He is forming the internal person.
The heart must be shaped.
The mind must be renewed.
Desires must be reordered.
Motives must be examined.
Character must be developed.
David understands that true obedience begins inside.
This is why he constantly returns to the heart.
6. Precepts — paying attention to the details
Psalm 119 uses the word precepts repeatedly throughout the psalm, even though the particular section from verses 71–87 places stronger emphasis on law, statutes, commandments, testimonies and God’s Word.
A precept is an instruction or principle that directs behaviour.
The language is significant.
God cares about the details.
David is not content with a vague spirituality that says:
“I love God, so I will just do whatever feels right.”
He wants instruction.
He wants clarity.
He wants understanding.
He wants to know the boundaries.
He wants to know the principles.
He wants to know the way.
This is why he continually meditates on Scripture.
He is allowing God’s Word to become the pattern by which he designs his life.
7. The fear of the Lord — living with consequences in view
Throughout the Psalms, the fear of the Lord is connected with wisdom.
The fear of God does not mean living in constant terror of Him.
It means recognising who God is.
It means reverence.
It means humility.
It means understanding that our actions matter.
Our words matter.
Our choices matter.
Our relationships matter.
Our hidden thoughts matter.
There are consequences.
David understands this.
He knows that life is not morally random.
Actions produce consequences.
Choices shape character.
Repeated choices become habits.
Habits help form a life.
And eventually, the life we have designed through thousands of small decisions becomes the life we live.
That is why David wants his heart aligned with God’s Word.
The Valley Is Also a Workshop
Perhaps one of the greatest lessons from David is that formation often happens in the valley.
We prefer the mountaintop.
We prefer success.
We prefer comfort.
We prefer promotion.
We prefer blessing.
But David discovered that some of his deepest spiritual formation happened during affliction.
The valley exposed him.
The valley humbled him.
The valley corrected him.
The valley taught him.
The valley brought him back to God’s Word.
The valley changed his perspective.
And sometimes the valley is where God does His deepest work.
The prison cell can become a classroom.
The hospital room can become a classroom.
The failed marriage can become a classroom.
The financial crisis can become a classroom.
The wilderness can become a classroom.
The season of disappointment can become a classroom.
The question is not simply:
“How do I get out of this valley?”
Perhaps another question should be:
“What is God teaching me in this valley?”
David learned to ask that question.
“You can break God’s laws—but eventually they break you.”
Return for a moment to John and Peter.
They sit in their prison cell with the Bible open between them.
They cannot undo their past.
They cannot bring back the years.
They cannot erase the consequences.
But they can learn.
They can repent.
They can be transformed.
They can become different men.
And perhaps their greatest tragedy would be to spend their remaining years in prison without understanding why they ended up there.
The prison sentence is the consequence of a crime.
But the deeper lesson concerns the decisions that came before the crime.
One destructive decision followed another.
One compromise led to another.
One act of rebellion made the next easier.
Eventually, the pattern became a lifestyle.
And then the lifestyle produced consequences.
That is why God’s Word matters.
It allows us to examine the pattern before we experience the consequences.
Learn from the people who went before us
The Bible is filled with people whose lives are testimonies.
Study Joseph.
Study Moses.
Study David.
Study Solomon.
Study Samson.
Study Saul.
Study Peter.
Study Paul.
Study the Israelites.
Ask questions.
What did they do?
Why did they do it?
What happened afterwards?
What principle can I learn?
What should I imitate?
What should I avoid?
What does this reveal about God’s character?
What does this reveal about human nature?
What does this reveal about obedience and rebellion?
This is what it means to become a student of God’s ways.
Spiritual Design
There is a fascinating connection between physical design and spiritual formation.
A designer begins with a purpose.
The purpose influences the form.
The form influences the structure.
The structure influences the function.
And the final outcome reflects the decisions made throughout the design process.
Perhaps our spiritual lives are not so different.
God has a purpose.
His Word provides instruction.
His commandments establish boundaries.
His statutes reveal principles.
His precepts provide direction.
His testimonies give us evidence.
His judgments reveal consequences.
And our choices gradually shape the person we become.
We are being formed.
The question is:
Who or what is doing the forming?
Culture?
Social media?
Friends?
Money?
Pleasure?
Anger?
Fear?
Ambition?
Or the Word of God?
David chose to be formed by God’s Word.
Read the Word. Study the testimonies. Learn the pattern.
Psalm 119:71–87 gives us a profound picture of spiritual formation.
David looks backwards at the testimonies.
He looks upward to God.
He looks inward at his own heart.
He looks honestly at his affliction.
He looks carefully at God’s laws.
He looks deliberately at God’s commandments.
He treasures God’s statutes.
He seeks God’s precepts.
And he understands that God’s Word is not merely something to read.
It is something by which to live.
The testimonies tell us what happened.
The commandments tell us what God requires.
The statutes reveal His established principles.
The precepts give instruction.
The law reveals His righteous standard.
And the stories of Scripture show us the consequences of obedience and rebellion.
So let us become students of God’s ways.
Let us read the stories of Joseph and Moses.
Let us learn from David’s victories and failures.
Let us examine Samson’s compromises.
Let us study Saul’s disobedience.
Let us observe Peter’s restoration.
Let us learn from Paul.
Let us study the lives of the men and women who have gone before us.
Let us ask not merely, “What happened?”
but:
“What can I learn?”
Because God’s Word gives us something extraordinarily valuable:
the opportunity to learn the lesson before we have to live through the consequence.
John and Peter cannot change their past.
But we can learn from theirs.
David could not prevent every valley.
But he discovered that God could use the valley to shape him.
And that may be one of the greatest lessons of Psalm 119:
God does not waste the valley.
He can use affliction to teach.
He can use correction to restore.
He can use failure to humble.
He can use testimony to warn.
He can use His commandments to guide.
He can use His statutes to establish.
He can use His precepts to instruct.
And through His Word, He can reshape a life.
So keep reading.
Keep studying.
Keep asking questions.
Pay attention to the testimonies.
Study the commandments.
Understand the laws.
Meditate on the statutes.
Follow the precepts.
Learn from the people of the Bible.
Examine their victories.
Examine their failures.
Examine their consequences.
And most importantly, learn the ways of God.
Because the greatest spiritual design is not the building we construct, the career we create, or the possessions we accumulate.
It is the person we become.
Let God shape the person.
Let His Word form the character.
Let His ways establish the pattern.
And when we walk according to that pattern, we discover that God’s Word is not merely a book that tells us how to live.
It is the blueprint for a life transformed.
The central theme of this article is very strong: God’s Word reveals the pattern before we experience the consequences.
0
0
