Day 187

The Word of God

Read: Psalm 119

Every verse in this lengthy psalm speaks about the Word of God, using various designations such as “law,” “testimonies,” “precepts,” “statutes,” “commandments,” “ordinances,” “word,” and “promise.” The psalm is an acrostic in which the first eight verses begin with the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, aleph, the next eight with the second letter, beth, until the end of the alphabet is reached.

Over and over, the psalmist tells us how much he loves the Word of God. Surely we should love that Word too, and by reading it, let it shape our thinking and therefore our lives. The Scriptures fill the psalmist with awe as he considers how dependable they are. When we read the Bible, it must not be a ritualistic duty but rather a listening to the voice of God, which provides us with the directions we need.

Again and again the psalmist considers how God’s Word provides true freedom, how it gives insight into the situations we deal with, how we experience fullness of life as we obey God who speaks in his Word, and how that Word provides us with comfort, stability, and hope.

The psalmist reminds us to keep God’s Word in a world that often disdains it. This Word is to be kept in the midst of the struggles of daily living. May we be able to say, “O how I love thy law!” (v. 97).

PRAYER
Father, thank you for the Bible. Speak powerfully to us through its pages. In Jesus’ name. Amen.