Protected by the Word
BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY… “How can a young person stay pure? By obeying your word….I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” Psalm 119:9, 11 NLT)
A core doctrine of the Christian faith is that God’s Word is our “all-sufficient rule for faith and conduct.” In other words, it is a complete guide for what we believe and how we behave. The psalmist addresses a “young person” in this familiar verse, but we know that temptation is “no respecter of persons.” While pressures and temptations may be intense in ones youth, they do not cease with age.
I recall hearing about some young Bible College students asking an elderly minister, “at what age do temptations cease?” His response was, “I don’t know.”
The psalmist allows us to know that young or old, obeying God’s Word keeps us on the “straight and narrow.” The emphasis should be place on “obeying.” I notice the verse doesn’t say, “knowing God’s Word.” We are only kept safe to the extend that we “put into practice and action” God’s Word that we know.
That is why the next verse is of importance. “I have hidden your word in my heart…” Real life change, real strength comes when God’s Word moves from our minds to our hearts. We see in the gospel’s that for each temptation Jesus was confronted with, His response was one based on God’s Word.
The familiar words of instructions to Joshua as he succeeded Moses were, “Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” (Joshua 1:7,8 ESV)
I notice a reflection of these commands to Joshua in this second stanza of Psalm 119. We read, “I have recited aloud all the regulations you have given us.” (Psalm 119:13 NLT) That is “keeping God’s Word in your mouth.
Then we read, “I will study your commandments and reflect on your ways.” (Psalm 119:15 NLT) That shows “meditation” and seeking understanding that results in practical application.
Finally, I notice the attitude that is important toward God’s Word. We read, “I have rejoiced in your laws…I will delight in your decrees and not forget your word.” (Psalm 119:14,16 NLT)
We realize that we are not perfect and we can all be thankful for God’s grace. However, the Lord provides the way for us to follow. We need to see God’s Word as our lifeline. To delight in it. To learn it. To mediate on it. To recite it. To obey it. As we do, it will help keep us on the right path.
Prayer for today… Lord, thank You for Your Word that is so important to our life. It not only tells us of You, but it reveals us to ourselves. It protects us, it guards us and it will keep us from harm as we allow it to direct our lives.