LICENSE TO CLING

I laughed last week when Mike put up the slide demonstrating static cling when he was discussing Psalm 119, verses 25-32. I also have been the victim of negative clinging. There is a rug in my office that if I sit on the floor, white fuzz clings to my pants, and I end up resembling an animal shedding a winter coat of fur on its bottom half. Not a great look.
This, of course, is an example of the negative kind of clinging. However, what really stuck out to me from the sermon came later in verses 30-31. David writes, “I have chosen the faithful way; I have placed your ordinances before me. I cling  [emphasis mine] to your testimonies.” This calls to mind a more positive version of the word clinging. While clinging does mean “to stick” or “adhere,” it also means “to follow close, to be joined together.” I did some research and found the same word is used in the past tense in the book of Ruth to describe Ruth’s devotion to Naomi--“Ruth clung to her” (Ruth 1:31).

I’ve clung to people. In fact, when Mike was in the Air Force, he often deployed for weeks at a time, and I can honestly say that during those times, when he called me on the telephone, I clung to his every word. He would often encourage me in my parenting (we had 3 kids under the age of 4 and I was often exhausted and discouraged), he’d tell me how much he loved me and our family, and he’d remind me that he was coming back. If I missed a call because we weren’t home (landlines were the worst, am I right?), I would often break down in tears because I didn’t know when or if he’d be able to call me back. Hearing from him regularly helped me avoid feeling discouraged or hopeless. His words helped me cope when the kids were sick or something had broken--like the time I was home with a sick, two-week-old baby and our icemaker flooded our kitchen the morning after he left for a five week trip!

I clung to my phone calls with Mike. This is the kind of clinging I think the author was speaking of when he wrote about clinging to the testimonies of God. We can cling to God’s word because it is perfect (Psalm 18:30). It makes wise the simple (Psalm 19:7). It is trustworthy and reliable (Proverbs 30:5). God’s words are a source of strength and encouragement (Romans 15:4). It cleanses and renews us (Ephesians 5:26).  And just like Mike would remind me that he wouldn’t be gone forever, God’s testimonies remind us that Jesus isn’t going to be gone forever either—He is coming back (John 14:3)!

To sum up, I think being clingy gets a bad rap sometimes. It’s okay to be clingy if you’re clinging to the right object. And Psalm 33:4 says, “For the word of the Lord is right, And all His work is done in faithfulness.”

Consider this blog license to cling.