When I look at the faith journeys described the people who regularly attend church, I sometimes think my journey is not following God. Because my journey looks so unlike the journeys described by people who regularly attend church.
I have prayed long and hard about that. God’s answer? To send me a mentor whose spiritual walk with God does not rely on the doctrines of churches but who instead seeks God, just as the psalmist here is doing. I have learned a lot about early Christians who sought solitude in order to know God more. Much of what they learned is not part of mainstream Christianity and is largely ignored. But these people had deep walks with God and their faith could not be questioned.
So why is their experience so divorced from what is considered acceptable today by mainstream churches? Again I sought the answer. The answer? The enlightenment and the reformation.
The enlightenment was a movement that set out to put Science ahead of faith in God. All of Western Europe embraced the enlightenment, even the Christian churches. But one of the tenets of the enlightenment is to replace God with science. As a result of the enlightenment, many turned away from faith in God and openly proclaimed their lack of belief in God.
So why has the mainstream church of today so happily embraced enlightenment thinking? Much of the depth of spirituality that existed in the faith of Jesus’ time and prior to the enlightenment has been lost by the western church. Some of this was as a result of the reformation. The early Christian writers, the ones who sought solitude to get to know God better, worked under the then church. This was of course the Catholic Church. When Protestantism emerged from the reformation, much of the teaching of the Catholic Church was rejected. And this mean the loss of the depth of spiritual knowledge of God that had been learned by these early faithful.
This has led to a church that has rejected much of the spirituality of God. Much of the spirituality that existed at the time of Jesus. Much of the spirituality that those who had a closer walk with God’s creation had learned during their years of solitude. This is where the spirituality of so many faithful followers has been lost. This is where the modern church is losing people to other religions which have not thrown out the spirituality of God. This is where many lose the depth of faith that only a few now find. But it is possible in modern Christianity to have that depth of faith. You only have to read the writings of C.S. Lewis to see a man who understood the richness of the spiritual. If you read the writings of John O’Donohue you also glimpse the richness of the spiritual.
One really important way to witness to others, especially those who use the symbolism from other religions, is to show them the spiritual depths of following God. For those who want the magic of the spiritual, there is nothing as amazing and wonderful as the true spirituality of following God. But this is not following God to a religious doctrine. This is true faith in God.
When I was a small child, I read a story by an Aboriginal man about how easy it was for Aboriginal people to accept Christianity because they understood the spirituality of Christianity. Because the dreaming is about the spiritual and they found God there and truly worship Him there. It is time we truly consider God and the spiritual realm. Consider it not in the narrow constricts of an enlightenment and reformation mentality, but in the true spiritual depths of our God. Because He is righteous and trustworthy and He gives us understanding so we may live (v137-8,144).
 

Psalm 119:129-136
The poetry of the psalmist and his awe at God are so inspiring.
First he proclaims how wonderful God’s word is. It far exceeds anything conceived by man. That is so amazing. The psalmist is so in awe. So overwhelmed with joy at God’s word. The response is for the psalmist to keep God’s word. He hears, receives, loves and obeys God’s mighty word.
He celebrates how the unfolding of God’s word gives light, understanding and comprehension to the simple. No one has to study to understand God’s word. He will give that understanding. It is the simple in faith who have the deepest understanding because they are the most open to learning. And the impact of that understanding is for the psalmist to pant with longing to obey God’s command.
The reality of life is the everyday things the psalmist must do. He wants to do them in the light of God’s commands, but the day is not easy and distractions are many. He begs God to have mercy on him and those who love God’s name. As he walks through his day he asks God to direct his footsteps according to God’s word. He begs God to open his eyes so that no sin will rule over him. He also asks for God to redeem him from the oppression of his fellow man. He acknowledges that we have a life to live and that involves doing the mundane. But instead of segregating God from the mundane, the Psalmist invites God into the mundane to guide his steps and keep him from sin and oppression.
The psalmist wants nothing more than to keep hearing, receiving, loving and obeying God. He asks God for blessing. May God’s face shine on him with pleasure. He asks God to teach him how to follow him.
As he contemplates God’s greatness and his gratitude at God’s presence supporting him on his walk, he feels such sorrow because of all those who do not respect or keep God’s commands. These are the ones who choose not to hear, receive, love or obey God. The biggest sadness in this is what those people are missing out on.
So as we follow that narrow way, may we draw inspiration from the words of the psalmist here and his prayer for support. May we never forget that God is God of everything, even the mundane. May we never forget that God does not expect us to struggle alone. He is generous in his support of us. He wants us to succeed. He is not harsh and judgemental. Instead He is loving and supportive and never hesitates to offer encouragement. Never forget that the light of His approval shines on us powerfully. He loves those who love Him and seek to follow Him. He wants us to receive all the blessings He has in store for us. So lean on Him as you walk the narrow way. Never forget His love for you.