“It was good for me that I was humbled, so that I might learn Your laws” (119:71). Abraham learned this in Egypt; Moses learned this in the wilderness; neither Saul nor Solomon evidently did; David sure did. Josiah learned it well and he learned it young. Both Peter and Paul learned it — both the hard way.
Neither you nor I know specifically what the psalmist means specifically; and neither would most know what we meant by such references if we were to write down a few psalms of our own.
Maybe he learned this from the sufferings inflicted from those opposed to God’s ways. It seems he did.
If we focus our attention on the sufferings and humiliations of the psalmist, though, we’d miss the point. Had he wanted us to know what he suffered he would have told us. Instead, his whole point has direction: “so that I mgith learn Your laws.” He learned to do what God said — that is his point. He prayed to learn, and learn he did.
Those who learn from their mistakes the way God intends will focus a lot less on their mistakes and a lot more on what they learn: obedience, trust, love.
When some of you read this today Kris and I, with kids and spouses, will be en route to Ixtapa, Mexico. We’ll send some pictures this year from the beach we love. We left our home in good hands.