“Your word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against You. Blessed are You, O LORD; teach me Your statutes. With my lips I have told of all the ordinances of Your mouth. I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, as much as in all riches. I will meditate on Your precepts and regard Your ways. I shall delight in Your statutes; I shall not forget Your word.” Psalm 119:11–16
If you have a Bible close by, would you please get it and just hold it in your hands and look at it for a moment or two…you are holding God’s Words. Now, look closer at these Haitian children in the attached photo who have just received a Gideon’s Bible written in French; their own language. This is probably the very first book that they have ever owned…and they can read it; God’s Word. They will read from God’s Word to their parents because their parents cannot read. Hold your Bible again…look at it; God’s Word. How precious is Your Word to us, our Heavenly Father. The older we grow, the more we realize it’s value and treasure it’s truths. We thank You for it’s precepts, clearly delineated and purposefully defined to give us direction when we are hopelessly lost. Thank You also for principles that, with wisdom, may be applied even in this twenty-first century, when it seems as though our fallen world's standard for living has gotten smelly, rotten and blurred with so much evil, making the future appear intimidating and frightening for so many hopeless people.
We are so thankful Lord, that Your Word gives light, because there's an enormous amount of darkness around us right now; here in my home, in my neighborhood, in my state and in my country. We want to live on the bright side of life; with You. We want to enjoy what You have for us rather than endure our circumstances in this fallen world. We want to see the beauty of Your purposes and how they all fit together into a divinely designed plan that makes great sense to You, and hopefully in time, to us. We rest our case there, even though there are times it does not make sense to us today.
Thank You, Father, for the way You speak to us through Scripture. May we realize its relevance and appreciate how often Your Word addresses the needs of our lives. In clearly stated words, it talks about where we live, how we are to live, and what life is all about; we desperately need that guidance. So we submit ourselves to You and we commit ourselves to the reading and the study of Your Word. May we be faithful and disciplined to this personal commitment. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.