God's Word is Right and Brings Rejoicing

“The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;”

As we continue in our study of Psalm 19:7-11, we come to a line that makes me smile just reading it.  Let us meditate together on the riches and wonder of God's Word.

God's Word is Right

His precepts and statutes are founded in righteousness. It is just the right thing needed to free us sinners from the shackles of sin that have bound our hands and feet (John 8:32). A physician gives the right medicine and a counselor the right advice, so is the Word of God the “right” in everything. 

 The Hebrew word here means “straight, upright, correct, right; straightforward, just, upright, fitting, proper.” The Word of God fits this definition by every scale of measurement. It is righteous, upright, and just.  It is straightforward.  It makes no mistakes or errors of information or accuracy.  In all issues, debates, or controversies, God's Word is right.

We can stand on the sure, rock-solid foundation of God's Word.  We can trust in it's accuracy and it's ability to give us the right wisdom and counsel for every circumstance.

God's Word Brings Rejoicing

God’s Words are the rejoicing of our heart. Notice the progression thus far. First, we are converted, then taught, and now we are made to rejoice. What a wonderful process! As we read, study, and learn from the Word of God, we come to love it and find our soul’s greatest joy in it. 

Indeed, this book has power to bring joy like no other! We may try to find happiness and satisfaction in other things, but only the Scriptures can really satisfy, only they can make our hearts joyful, truly joyful, always joyful.

Jeremiah 15:16 says, "Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by your name, O LORD, God of hosts." 

Is God's Word the joy and delight of your heart?  Jeremiah had to seek out God's Word and seek His face.  Then he ate them--which is a physical phrase that represents the discipline of meditation.  As we chew on God's Words and really think about what they mean, they become to us the delight of our heart.  Let us meditate on God's Word so that we might find in it that joy inexpressible.

Here's another verse of David's that I like: "I rejoice at Your word As one who finds great treasure" (Psalm 119:162).  We rejoice when we read, study, and meditate on God's Word because we have found a treasure of limitless value. God's Word is precious and valuable.  It is a treasure-house of wisdom and knowledge.  It gives peace.  And most importantly, it brings life.  Such words are truly a treasure!

~~~~~~~

So today, because God's Word is right and true; because God's Word leads our heart to rejoicing, let us devote our time to its pursuit.  Let us spend time in the presence of the Lord pouring over the Scripture because we know His words are right.  And let us learn, as the prophet Jeremiah, to rejoice in the Scriptures, because they are the joy and delight of our heart.

"You will show me the path of life;

In Your presence is fullness of joy;

At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore."

~Psalm 16:11

When God Answers Prayer

This past weekend, I had the wonderful opportunity to go on a short mission trip.  We only had one day to spend with the kids which our team has been ministering too for several years now.  We had spent months beforehand praying for these kids and for our time there.  We were all sad that it would have to be so short, but knew that God could work even in times like these.

I learned many lessons during that trip, as I watched God working in ways so beyond my imagination.  Yes, we only had 12 hours, but we saw in that small moment of time just how much God was doing.

As I reflect upon my weekend, I am so wowed by the way that God answered each and every one of our prayers.  I am so humbled to think that God is working through us in ways we never thought possible.  I am so excited to know what God has done in the hearts of these kiddos and I look forward with child-like expectation to see what my heavenly Father will do next.

One of the things that sticks out to me from this trip as one of the (many) lessons God wanted to teach me is how He answers prayer.

I learned that sometimes He answers in a way different then we thought.

Our thoughts are so below His.  While we think and dream and plan, we must realize that God knows infinitely more than we do. And He's been around for a lot longer than we have.  Because of this, sometimes His plans to measure up to ours.  On the surface, it may seem like He didn't even answer our prayer.

But when we really take a look at what He has done, we see that He really has answered our prayer.  And when we remember Who He is and how amazing His plans have turned out in the past, we trust that He knows what is best.  Just think of all the stories in the Old Testament. I'm sure crossing the Red Sea wasn't Moses' idea of fleeing Egypt.  But it was in God's plan.  And looking back so many yeas later, we see that God knew best.

And He knows best today as well.  He may not answer our prayers in exactly the way we were hoping they would be answered, but His ways are infinitely better than ours.

Another thing I learned is that sometimes His answers seem ordinary.

When I first reflected on how well our trip went, sitting on the couch of our room at 10:30 that night, I thought it was a pretty ordinary day.  Or maybe simple is the word I am looking for.  No fire fell from heaven.  No one's life was drastically changed.  But then I started thinking about all the "little" things God had done.  And the more I thought about it, the more I realized how many things God had done!  Some of them were little, and some of them were big!  

For example, during that trip we didn't encounter a whole lot of spiritual attack from the enemy.  So at the end of the day, I thought, this was pretty easy after all!  But the fact that we didn't have to spend all our time waging war with the devil showed me that God was on our side fighting for us!  He had defeated the enemy so that we could work freely and unhindered.  What an amazing God we serve!

So a trip that seemed to be ordinary changed into extraordinary because of what God did.  From this I have learned to look for God in the little things and not to take the seemingly small things for granted. 

I have also been reminded not to just offer a little "Thank You, God" and then move on, but to really ponder what God has done.  We can take so much that the Lord has done for granted instead of giving Him the credit and glory for what He has done.

The Lord also taught me to avoid the temptation of thinking I did it all in my own strength.

Sometimes it's easy for me to fall into believing I could have done it without God--especially when His answers come in ordinary and peaceful ways--like He did with this past missions trip.

In the past, I have fallen into the trap of thinking, "Hey, I could have done that. It wasn't as hard as I thought."  We spend hours and hours in prayer and fail to trust in Him even when He promises to be with us. And then, when He is with us, we believe that we did it all on our own strength... :(  Oh, how sad!

Let us remember, dear friends, how much we cannot do it on our own strength and need Him.

Finally, when God answers prayer, remember to praise!

It's so easy for us to forget to spend set-apart, devoted time to praising Him.  I think of all the many hours that we invested in prayer for this missions trip.  And God answered each and every one of those prayers!  Would we be so unthankful as to not spend at least a fraction of amount of the time spent had in prayer in praising Him?  

We pray so hard for an answer, and then, when it comes, we seem to simply shrug it off. Let us resolve to thank our merciful Savior for the many ways He has answered our prayers. Let us acknowledge His answers for what they are--complete miracles! Undeserved grace and mercy. Bountiful blessings.  Let us praise Him!

If God answers your prayers, do not say a simple "Thank You," and move on to the next request that needs answering. Spend time in praising Him through song and prayer.  Remember how good He is and how gracious He has been to answer the cries of your heart.

~~~~~~~

I hope this all didn't sound confusing or disorganized.  These are the thoughts of my heart and I really wanted to share them with you.  I pray that you too would be, as I have been, reminded and challenged to praise the Lord when He answers your prayers and not take credit for yourself, even if it seems ordinary or is different from what you had planned.  God is so good and He does answer prayer! 

5 Watchman Nee Quotes on Prayer

How we need the Lord to enlighten our eyes that we may comprehend afresh the importance of prayer and know anew its value. Furthermore, we must recognize that had Satan not deceived us we would not be neglecting prayer so much. We should therefore watch and discover therein all the various wiles of Satan. We will not allow him to delude us any more in relaxing in prayer.

Prayer is the acid test of the inner man’s strength. A strong spirit is capable of praying much and praying with all perseverance until the answer comes. A weak one grows weary and fainthearted in the maintenance of praying.

Prayer enables us first inwardly to overcome the enemy and then outwardly to deal with him.

We should not open our mouths too hastily upon approaching God. On the contrary, we first must ask God to show us what and how to pray before we make our request known to Him. Have we not consumed a great deal of time in the past asking for what we wanted? Why not now ask for what God wants?

Prayer is work. The experiences of many children of God demonstrate that it accomplishes far more than does any other form of work.

God's Word is Sure and Full of Wisdom

“The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;”

As we continue in our study of the Word of the Lord through Psalm 19:7-11, let us look at this precious line from verse 7.

God's Word is Sure

The Lord has borne witness to many things--His creation, for example. He has laid down an account of these things in His Word for us. And we can know that it is sure. It is correct; it is infallible. God has borne testimony against sin; he has testified of our fall and our restoration. And it is sure.

The Hebrew for this word "sure" means “to be established, be faithful, be carried, make firm.” And certainly that is what the Word of the Lord is. We have no reason to doubt, but can rather stake our entire lives on these truths; they will never fail us.

I like what Charles Spurgeon has to say about this topic:

"God's witness in his Word is so sure that we may draw solid comfort from it both for time and eternity, and so sure that no attacks made upon it, however fierce or subtle, can ever weaken its force. What a blessing that in a world of uncertainties we have something sure to rest upon! We hasten from the quicksands of human speculation to the terra firma of Divine Revelation."

God's Word Gives Wisdom

And this sure Word contains within its pages such knowledge and wisdom that even those who are babes might be made wise. It contains gems of truth that even a young one can understand. And through that understanding, they grow to be among the wisest of all. Again I like what Spurgeon says: "Humble, candid, teachable minds receive the word, and are made wise unto salvation. Things hidden from the wise and prudent are revealed unto babes. The persuadable grow wise, but the cavillers continue fools." Those who approach the word humbly and with a teachable spirit can learn the truths that will make them wise unto salvation (2 Timothy 3:15).

When God's testimonies are our meditation and when we study His words, we gain wisdom that is greater than all earthly teachers, no matter how "smart" or good at learning we think we are!

"I have more understanding than all my teachers,For Your testimonies are my meditation.I understand more than the ancients,Because I keep Your precepts." ~Psalm 119:99-100

Isn't that such an encouraging thought though? God's Words can make you and I wise! They can give us the wisdom, knowledge, and understanding we need to navigate this crazy life.  

"But what is so amazing about wisdom?" you may ask.  

Solomon gives the answer so much better than I ever could:

"Blessed is the one who finds wisdom,   and the one who gets understanding,for the gain from her is better than gain from silver   and her profit better than gold.She is more precious than jewels,   and nothing you desire can compare with her.Long life is in her right hand;   in her left hand are riches and honor.Her ways are ways of pleasantness,   and all her paths are peace.She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her;   those who hold her fast are called blessed." ~Proverbs 3:13-18

God's Word imparts this precious and life-giving gem called wisdom.

Psalm 119:130 reminds us, "The entrance of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple."

Do we value God's Word for what it is --> faithful and dripping with wisdom?  Do we approach God's Word every morning seeking to learn from it's pages how we might live out our lives?  Do we recognize the surety and firmness of God's Word?  Do we live in light of this understanding?

May this new understanding of God's Word cause you to run closer to it that you may gain the wisdom from its pages.  It will never falter or fail. None of its words will return back void.

God's Word is Perfect and Powerful

“The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul.” ~Psalm 19:7a

Today let us look at this phrase from Psalm 19:7-11 as we study the beautiful passage. May the things we study move beyond mere head knowledge into heart knowledge. Let us together worship our gracious and merciful Savior Who has written us our own special love letter.

It is Perfect

God's Word is the instruction and direction of God. It is His holy order and rulebook. This law is perfect. There is no flaw within its pages, no contradiction to stain its words, no gap to hinder its holiness. 

This word "perfect" in the Hebrew means, "complete, whole, entire, sound; without blemish." Just think; if the law of Moses which David refers to is perfectly perfect in the greatest sense of the word, how much more so is the entire Bible from Genesis to Revelation! 

These words, in their entirety, are complete. Nothing can be added; nothing subtracted. They completely share the message of the gospel of hope. They completely reveal the love of God and the mercy of Christ. Nothing could make it more whole and sound. It is, in every sense of the word, perfect.

It is Powerful To Bring Others to Him

It, God’s Word, is the one which accomplishes the work of converting souls. We try to come up with our own fancy speeches with illustrations, allusions, and other things to entice a crowd. We spend hours developing our own methods for evangelism. 

 Yet, the most effective tool for spreading the news of the gospel, is the gospel itself! The very Word of God! God’s Word has gone forth from His mouth and will not return void (Isaiah 55:11). It is living and active; it has the power to pierce hearts with its message (Hebrews 4:12). 

Think of the wisdom and power of God's Word if it has the ability to convert our souls.  With such a powerful tool, we have no need of anything else. It is God’s Word itself, not man’s commentary on God’s Word that will save. Keep this principle in mind as you speak with others (believers or non). Sharing the Word itself is more valuable than lecturing or exhorting with your own speech.  

It is Powerful in Our Own Lives

The Hebrew word "convert" means "to turn back; to bring back."  This isn't merely something that happens when  we become a Christian!  Our hearts (mind in particular) needs to be turned back to the Lord every day!  My mind and emotions can so easily be swayed by the things of the earth. There are so many things that grab my attention and pull me away from the King of kings.  

I need God's Word to bring me back to Him everyday!

And that's exactly what He has promised to do through His Word.  After all, He declares that His Word has the power to convert the soul.  However, He warns us, "Do not be like the horse or like the mule, Which have no understanding, Which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, Else they will not come near you" (Psalm 32:9).  When we come to His Word with an approachable and teachable heart, it will accomplish that which the Lord sent it out to do.  Psalm 119:9 speaks of this same concept: "How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word."

Let us take time each morning to dig deep into the Word of God.  After all, it is perfect!  And it has the power to turn our hearts back to Him each and every day.  Let us also remember that the gospel message, spoken by our Savior Himself, has the perfect power to change souls.

Psalm 19:7-11

"The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul;

The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;

The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;

The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes;

The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever;

The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.

More to be desired are they than gold,

Yea, than much fine gold;

Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.

Moreover by them Your servant is warned,

And in keeping them there is great reward."

~Psalm 19:7-11

We're going to begin a series of articles on this beautiful passage.  It's important to meditate on God's Word, and that is what we plan to do over the next few posts.  For now, take some time to meditate on these verses yourself. What do they mean?  Allow the truth of God's Word to soak into your heart and change the value you place on the Scriptures.  More to be desired are they than gold!

Pray that the Lord would open our eyes as we study His Word.  Let us seek His face together, knowing that in His presence is fullness of joy and at His right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Come and Be Satisfied

“Ho! Everyone who thirsts,

Come to the waters;

And you who have no money,

Come, buy and eat.

Yes, come, buy wine and milk

Without money and without price.

Why do you spend money for what is not bread,

And your wages for what does not satisfy?

Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good,

And let your soul delight itself in abundance.

Incline your ear, and come to Me.

Hear, and your soul shall live..."

~Isaiah 55:1-3

These three verses have been on my heart and mind today.  When I read them this morning for my daily Bible time, the Lord convicted my own heart that I often spend my time and sometimes even money for things that do not satisfy, instead of coming to drink at the river of life.

This "wine" and "milk" costs no money.  We do not have to do anything to earn it. We must simply preform two things 1) thirst, and 2) come.  The first is merely to acknowledge our weakness, our need for Him.  The second is, for some, harder. We must actually set down that time waster and come to seek His face.

And when we do, when we come to the waters and eat what is good, our soul will delight itself in abundance.

What is this food and drink talked of here?

Jesus speaks of the Holy Spirit being like water: "On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, 'If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.' But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given,because Jesus was not yet glorified" (John 7:37-39).

Jesus also speaks of Himself as the bread of life: 

"For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

Then they said to Him, “Lord, give us this bread always." 

And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. ~John 6:33-35

Other verses in the Psalms too speak of God satisfying us through Himself:

Psalm 36:8 -- “They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house, And You [O Lord] give them drink from the river of Your pleasures.”

Psalm 103:5 -- “[God] Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.”

Psalm 16:11 -- “You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”

God offers to satisfy us if we will come to Him.

But what does this look like on a practical level?

First, we must leave all else behind to follow Him. We must no longer spend our wages (our time and our talents) for that which is not bread. Anything besides the Lord Jesus will not satisfy us. Examine the way you spend your time. Is it in doing things that will bear eternal spiritual fruit? Or do you whittle away time on social media, phones, or the television? Do you spend hours reading fictional novels, or doing pretty much nothing with friends all day. Walk away from these things and choose to come to Jesus.

Second, come to Him!  Spend time in His Word. We cannot spend a few minutes each day in God's Word and except to be completely satisfied for the entire day. Your physical body requires that you feed it three or more times a day! It is not satisfied with one quick, five minute feeding. Such is the case in our spiritual lives as well. God's Word is our food (Matthew 4:4) and we must spend time in God's presence (through His Word) to gain a fuller picture of Who He is. When we do, we will experience the joy that is found in His presence!

“Ho! Everyone who thirsts,

Come to the waters;

And you who have no money,

Come, buy and eat.

Yes, come, buy wine and milk

Without money and without price.

Why do you spend money for what is not bread,

And your wages for what does not satisfy?

Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good,

And let your soul delight itself in abundance.

Incline your ear, and come to Me.

Hear, and your soul shall live..."

~Isaiah 55:1-3