In Psalm 1, the psalmist tells us to meditate on the “law” (the torah) day and night. Dale Ralph Davis likens that message to chewing on a text. There is a breadth to the Bible that must be explored — the themes, the focus (Jesus), the story from beginning to end. Yet there is also a depth to each passage that must be pursued. You must go over passages again and again, thinking about the context, the argument (if one), what is revealed about God, and what is revealed about men and women.

I have found the discipline of memorizing passages of Scripture to be the way that works best for me to “chew” on a passage. The daily act of repeating a set of verses allows new images and insights to come to mind. It causes me to see different ways the verses apply to me.

A verse that has held my attention of late is Psalm 5:8:

Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness because of my enemies; make your way straight before me.

 At first, I concentrated on the odd way in which David asks for leading — “because of my enemies”. What did David mean? Why would he want leading because of them? David’s enemies were many at times (Psalm 3:1-2), and the path of righteousness can be marked by those who are trying to pull you away from the Lord. David asked for the Lord’s leading at a time when his enemies were strong. The next line “make your way straight” shows David wanting the Lord to lay out the right way clearly in front of him. A “straight way” was the way of the Lord, a way not marked by the counsel of the wicked (Psalm 1:1).

Over the last few weeks, I have prayed that same prayer. My own enemies are just as powerful as David’s. Satan is still lurking about seeking to destroy. My own sin nature fights with the spirit. Death is waiting for me, although its sting is gone. I too need the Lord to make my way straight before me, to keep my eye fixed on the light (Matthew 6:22-23). This psalm has become my psalm.