Muscle memory
Muscle memory
Sacrifice and offering you do not desire, but you have given me an open ear. Burnt-offering and sin-offering you have not required. Then I said, ‘Here I am; in the scroll of the book it is written of me. I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.’
Something to think about
At the time of writing, comedian Jason Mansford has just released a new charity single called ‘Assembly Bangers’. The song is a medley of popular hymns sung in primary schools in decades gone by, and comments on social media suggest that people who haven’t sung a hymn in years are delighted to discover they still know all the words to these childhood favourites.
There are all kinds of things we know so well that they become part of us, without needing to think about them or look up the answer. The muscle memory you gain with playing an instrument, or driving a car; the favourite recipes you know like the back of your hand; phone numbers you learned before we had mobiles to remember them for us.
For the Psalmist, living in response to God’s grace has become part of who he is. Although the written law was surely important to him, he doesn’t rely on a reference book to make decisions. Rather, acting justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly with God have become second nature to him, instinctive behaviours that he can draw on in everyday situations.