"This is my Father's world."

We sing those words so glibly and happily, but they speak an uncomfortable truth. The world isn't ours, and we don't make the rules. We obey them, or we take the consequences for our choices.

"I am a sojourner in the earth," says the Psalmist. "Hide not your commandments from me." (Ps. 119:19)

We are strangers here. From birth, we are learning the customs of this alien land. People, both well-meaning and not, try to instruct us in the language and habits of living. But we are all learning together, shivering in a raw and unusual place.

The Bible is our operation manual for life. It explains what the laws are, and why. Sure, we can stumble onto them, and, in a way, we all know them. But this holy Book names them. It puts a face to the perplexity and calms the fear of the unknown. This is why the Psalmist loves the written law so much. The world and its rules have been here around us all along, but in the light of the Bible we can finally see them.  ¶ 2:13 PM