Savoring the Scripture

Prayer for Peace Psalm 119:161-168 Peace . In this world, peace can seem pretty elusive. So many things threaten peace within our countries, communities, families, and within ourselves. It seems a day cannot go by without the peace we desire being injured or even seemingly destroyed. In the beginning, when God first created the world, there was peace. God made the world and it functioned in perfect harmony. Adam and Eve tended the garden in unity, each one fulfilling their role and design in perfect capacity. God Himself came and walked with them and talked with them. They experienced peace with God, between themselves, and there was nothing that could disrupt their inner tranquility. All was as it should be. Until the Fall.    When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, suddenly the peace they had known and never lived without was broken. They no longer enjoyed the intimacy of God's presence. Instead, they hid in fear. They no longer selflessly loved one another, but instead cast blame,...

Give Me Life! Psalm 119:153-160 “Cause me to live”…he will press for nothing short of God’s vitalizing touch. Derek Kidner  “Give me life…give me life…give me life!” Three times the psalmist pleads with the Lord to give him life, to revive him again. Pleading for life usually comes when death appears imminent. For the psalmist, it was real, physical danger that caused him to cry out for rescue. And it may be for us as well. However, for many of us, we may not sense the nearness of our physical death, but we are well acquainted with the other forms of death. Spiritual dryness may have us questioning the authenticity of our salvation, and we long for God to revive us again. Perhaps there is some relationship in our lives that needs God’s life-giving work. Maybe we are mentally worn down, tired of pushing on day after day, and we’re desperate to feel joy, gladness, LIFE again. Most of us know friends and family that are spiritually dead, and we have been praying for years for God to g...

The Words We Speak in the Watches of the Night Psalm 119:145-152 He cried, and cried, and cried again. His supplications had become so frequent, fervent, and intense, that he might hardly be said to be doing anything else from morning to night but crying unto his God. Charles Spurgeon How often do we lie in bed at night longing for sleep but the cares of life run through our minds? How often do we fall asleep only to wake up hours later in the middle of the night and nagging thoughts keep us from returning to sleep? It seems the night is a prime time when anxious thoughts plague our minds. But what if, instead of lying awake in worry, we redeemed that time and turned those anxious thoughts into prayer? Have wakefulness and disturbed sleep been given to us, not to lie awake in fear, but to plead our need for help before the throne of grace?  In this section of Psalm 119, the psalmist longs for God to come to his help and save him. He is crying with his whole heart (Psalm 119:145). H...

When Trouble and Anguish Overwhelm Me Psalm 119:137-144 Though he does not yet see the outcome of his present troubles, the psalmist knows his God to be "righteous," his word to be "righteous" and "faithful," and his promises to have been tested repeatedly in redemptive history. He knows in whom he has put his trust; therefore, he does not challenge the Lord's integrity but prays humbly that he may "understand" so that he may be revived in his inner being. VanGemeren In this section of Psalm 119, the psalmist emphasizes five times the righteousness of God and His testimonies. He declares that God is righteous (119:137), and that His righteousness is an everlasting righteousness (119:142). He declares God’s testimonies to be appointed in righteousness (119:138), and they too are righteous forever (119:144). The psalmist finds himself in a place where trouble and anguish have overtaken him (119:143 NKJV). Perhaps in his anguish he has been temp...

The Word that Dispels Our Darkness Psalm 119:129-136 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. ‭‭John‬ ‭1‬:‭5‬ ‭ In the beginning when God created the world, it was formless and void, and darkness covered the face of the deep. But into that darkness God spoke, and there was light. Since that time, darkness and light have been powerful images. After the fall, we see darkness represent all that has gone amiss because of the curse. There is now a kingdom of darkness, and all that is sad, broken, and opposes God is from that kingdom. But under God’s rule, darkness does not get the last word. For centuries God had promised a Child would be born, a Son given, who would deal decisively with the curse of sin and darkness. And because of the tender mercy of God, He sent Jesus, His sunrise from on high, “to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace” (Luke‬ ‭1‬:‭79‬). The Word became flesh and dwelt am...

Longing for the Good Psalm 119:121-128 Sometimes, repetition is the mother of faith. Chad Bird Many times throughout the Scriptures, God repeats His promises to His people. How many times on this journey through the psalms have I read truths about God like: I will be with you.  I will help you.  I will uphold you. My lovingkindness is everlasting.  Hope in God. He is my refuge.  He is my strength. He is my deliverer. He rules and reigns. Sometimes repetition is necessary because we forget. In the hard moments, the stressful days, the weary weeks, our minds can be filled with anxious thoughts instead of looking at the truth. But perhaps repetition is most necessary because our lives change (or don’t change when we desperately want to see change!) and when we read again God’s faithful promises to us, our hearts can be settled once again with the promise that even in THIS, on this day, in this hardship, in this dark circumstance, God is still God, He is still good, a...