Psalm 19 The Law of the Lord is Perfect

Creation speaks with a loud voice concerning the glories of our Creator. The heavens, the sky, the day, and the night reveal the knowledge of the Almighty. David writes: "There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard." Every human being is struck by the glory of God as he contemplates nature.

Alongside Nature, there is another voice that sings in harmony the glories of our God. It is the voice of Revelation through the Scriptures. David describes the Scriptures as perfect, sure, right, pure, clean, and true. On top of that, he describes the effects that Scripture has upon the person: revives the soul, makes the wise the simple, rejoices the heart, and enlightens the eyes. This list of characteristics and benefits is long enough to entice our souls to run to the Scriptures every day of our lives.

To top it all off, David says: "...by them your servant is warned..." The Scriptures serve the purpose of warning us of our own errors. "Who can discern his errors?" Given my propensity to defend myself from wrongdoing, it is imperative to rely on the Scriptures as the one that pinpoints with grace and love the faults in my life. God promises to clear me of my sins if I only come to him in confession and repentance. God also promises to protect me from being controlled by my sin and sets me free to live for him.

The long term benefit of coming to the Scriptures is: "...in keeping them there is great reward." I look forward to my reward for living my life according to the Scriptures with the help of God through his Spirit. The ultimate effects of feeding on the Scriptures in the here and now is the regulation of my words and my thoughts and motivations: "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer."

Father, help me value the Scriptures as the voice the proclaims your glories and may I feast in it to reap its benefits in my life. May I never forget your word, or become disinterested. Revive in me a passion for your Word that I may grow in you. Amen.

Psalm 12 God's Word Can Be Trusted

There is a biblical story in 1Kings19 about Elijah. After having a great victory over the prophets of Baal, Elijah is pursued by Jezebel, a very wicked woman. He flees to the wilderness and wants to die. His complaint before God is that he is the only one left to serve the Lord surrounded by the wicked of his generation. But spoke to Elijah and made him see that he was not alone; there were many more faithful ones like him that he did not know about. God encouraged him to gain strength and continue the battle of faith without giving up.

Psalm 12 speaks of a generation that is wicked and oppressing to the righteous. The psalmist, King David, feels like all the righteous ones have vanished and he is all alone left to deal with their evil lies and deceits. But the Lord promises to guard the faithful in this generation and he offers safety for the future. David is encouraged by God's Word. To him, the Word of God is pure - free from dross, impurities like refined silver (not once, but seven times refined). God's Word can be trusted!

The generation that we are living today is also a generation similar to David's time. Evil, injustice, pain, and suffering prevail. God promises to guard our hearts in the midst of a generation like this and he promises a better future of eternal life. I must trust God's Word. His promises are true. He will not allow me to be swallowed up by an unfaithful generation. He will guard my heart from being choked by it. I am not alone in the battle of faith. There are many others battling as well and trusting the promises of our God.

Father, fill my heart with faith to trust in your promises for today. Fill me also with hope as I trust in your promises for my future. Guard my heart from this generation. I await with eagerness my liberation. Amen.