Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Do you delight in God's Word?


SCRIPTURE




Psalm 119:169-176 (NRSV)


God's law my delight


Let my cry come before you, O Lord;
give me understanding according to your word.
Let my supplication come before you;
deliver me according to your promise.
My lips will pour forth praise,
because you teach me your statutes.
My tongue will sing of your promise,
for all your commandments are right.
Let your hand be ready to help me,
for I have chosen your precepts.
I long for your salvation, O Lord,
and your law is my delight.
Let me live that I may praise you,
and let your ordinances help me.
I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek out your servant,
for I do not forget your commandments.


DEVOTION


I truly love Psalm 119 generally and today’s scripture passage specifically. Isn’t it grand that this psalmist was able to write 176 verses about how much he loved God’s Holy Word?

Most of us rarely even think about God’s Holy Word. For many Christians, it is a rare occurrence to read the Bible at home or spend more than two to three minutes in prayer and meditation each day.

For the most part, I fear that many Christians pray when they eat, before they sleep, and if they are in dire trouble!

Today’s psalmist reminds us that reading the Word of God and spending time in prayer and meditation is a privilege and a delight!

In this vein, I have often said that as Christians we don’t have to read scripture and pray—WE GET TO do these things because we love God so very much!

Today, I want to ask all of us, “When was the last time we said to God, ‘Your law is my delight’? When was the last time we spent time in God’s presence simply saying, ‘My lips will pour forth praise, because you teach me your statues’”?

Oh, that we as Christians would stop taking God’s WORD for granted! God is always speaking to us; we simply fail to listen!

Today, I want to encourage you to go to the nearest bookstore and purchase a Bible that is easy for you to understand! Some versions that may work for you are the New Living Bible, the Message Bible, or even a children’s Bible. Please don’t leave the store until you find something that will work for you and that you are excited to read!

And friends, please do not be embarrassed if you need to introduce yourself to scripture by reading a Children’s Bible. Once you have read the stories once or twice, you will become familiar with the narrative, people, and places in scripture and then you will feel ready to graduate to another more comprehensive Bible. But, in my mind, the most important thing is to learn to fall in love with God’s Holy Word by any means necessary!

I think it is just grand that God has gifted us with scripture and that God continues to speak to us in a still small voice that whispers to our hearts and rightly directs our paths.

Today, won’t you fall in love with God all over again by reading the Bible and making the time to talk--and listen--to God on a daily basis?

You’ll be glad you did! Won’t you pray with me?

Holy God, I want to learn to delight in Your Word! Please help me to fall in love with you all over again as I read Your Word and spend time in prayer. I ask you to forgive me for neglecting our love relationship. Please forgive my sin and fill me with the Holy Spirit. I want to share the good news that you love us so much that you gave Jesus to die on the cross to save us from our sin and gift us with eternal life! Please equip and enable me to share good news and be good news in the life of others. I pray this in Jesus’ Name, Amen!

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