I have God’s permission to have Hope! I am blessed if my walk is blameless, and that can only be achieved by walking according to God’s laws. This walk cannot be now and then, but must be with my whole heart, with no unrighteousness mixed in. Such a lifestyle will help me not to be ashamed when I see myself in the mirror of His Word. The more I learn of His righteousness, the more I give thanks to Him for it. Our God is 100% faithful to care for His obedient children.

Psalm 119:1-8 Names of God Bible

Psalm 119^[a]

¹ Blessed are those whose lives have integrity,
    those who follow the teachings of Yahweh.
² Blessed are those who obey his written instructions.
    They wholeheartedly search for him.
³ They do nothing wrong.
    They follow his directions.
⁴ You have commanded
    that your guiding principles be carefully followed.
⁵ I pray that my ways may become firmly established
    so that I can obey your laws.
⁶         Then I will never feel ashamed
            when I study all your commandments.
⁷ I will give thanks to you
    as I learn your regulations, which are based on your righteousness.
⁸ I will obey your laws.
    Never abandon me.

The Word of God for the Children of God. In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Amen!

Have we ever thought of how easy it is for us to take the Scriptures for granted?

Here we are in possession of the very words of God Almighty! Out of His goodness, He has preserved His word for us. Not only are we blessed to be in possession of Scripture, we are blessed through knowing Scripture.

Psalm 119 is the longest Psalm in the Bible and at its heart, is a love for God’s Word. As the Psalmist wrote these words, he (possibly King David) had an indescribable desire to know the Word far beyond just an introductory level.

He was not content with just knowing the basics of Scripture, He wanted to know the God who inspired Scripture. He knew that he was not only blessed with having the Word of God, he was blessed by knowing the Word of God.

If we follow what the Psalmist says in these first 3 verses, we see that those who practice and know the Scriptures are blessed. In order for us to be blameless, we need to walk in the law of the Lord. If we seek Him with our whole heart and keep His testimonies, we will be blessed. Who are the ones that do no wrong?

The ones that walk in His ways. There is a double blessedness that we see in these opening verses. To meditate upon, to know , to study and to practice what God reveals to us in Scripture blesses our lives echelons beyond understanding. It is one thing to just hear and read the Scriptures, it is another thing entirely to risk taking the next step, going beyond knowing them and so to practice them.

In verse 2, we are told that we are blessed if we seek him with our whole heart.

This means that if we truly want to feel the blessings of knowing God’s Word, our devotion to studying His Word needs to extend far beyond just skin level.

It is all too easy to read the Bible like a Pharisee. To read the word, to know the word but fail to prudently apply it to our heart, and to our lives, is a soul killer.

In this smart phone, technology driven age we live in, When you and I read the Bible and have our time alone with God, do you and I read it to know it? Or do you and I read it to live it out and to also better love the One who inspired it?

So, with your smart phone in hand, looking down, at it, what is your quiet time like? If we had to teach what it meant to 100% truly love the Word of God, what would we teach? Would we be able to say like the Psalmist that you seek Him with our whole heart? Do we walk in His ways and not just talk in His ways? How can we make sure that we are walking and seeking with our whole hearts?

I’ll give you 3 ways, although, there are many more that could be listed. 

1. Read the Bible supernaturally. In your hands are a book that is unlike anything ever written. There is no other book in all of history that is like the Word of God. You are holding perfection in your hands, the very words of God. I believe it has been repeatedly said, “if you want to hear the audible voice of God, read your Bible out loud.” Have you and I ever thought about it that way?

The Sovereign King over ALL is speaking to you and me through this book! Go to the Bible expecting to hear God speak and you will never be disappointed. Reverend Dr. John Piper has written an excellent book called Reading the Bible Supernaturally that does a much better job detailing this if you were interested in meditating, learning more about what it means to read the Bible differently.  https://www.christianbook.com/reading-supernaturally-seeing-savoring-glory-scripture/john-piper/9781433553493/pd/553494?event=ESRCQ

2. As much as possible in these contemporary days, make a plan to actually put into action what you read. Prepare to engage the works and machinations of mankind through the greater works and machinations of God in His Kingdom.

All too often we can pick up a book, read it, learn from it, and then carry on with our lives as if we never picked it up to begin with. This cannot be the case with the Bible. Notice that the Psalmist uses the verbs walk and seek when it comes to those that are blessed. If we want to experience the full blessings of knowing God through His word, we need to risk putting some action behind that desire.

John Wesley once wrote, “it cannot be that people should grow in grace unless they give themselves to reading. A reading people will always be a knowing people.” The more you and I read and act on the Word, the more we will know the One who inspired it all. As you and I read our Bible, write down some things that stick out to us and risk trying to implement those things into our daily life.

Maybe it is something as simple as our finding a quiet place to pray alone or memorizing Scripture. Maybe it’s something more like explaining the Gospel to a friend or a coworker. We can never grow spiritually if we aren’t acting towards growth. It might look and feel like we are taking baby steps, but we serve a God that is faithful and will help us to grow. The only thing we can’t do is nothing. 

3. Pray the Word! When we read the Bible, pray that God would reveal Himself to you. Do not go to the Bible and expect to understand it on your own power.

Pray! some of the promises of Scripture such as Jeremiah 29:13, where the Lord says that those who seek Him will find Him or pray James 4:8 which says that when we draw near to God, He will draw near to us. Be Silent! (Romans 8:26)

Pray for grace, for wisdom and understanding before, during, and after reading Scripture. Meditate on those Words as you go throughout your day. If you are struggling with a passage, do not be afraid to ask God to reveal information to you. Finally, remember to thank the Lord that He has revealed Himself to you through His Word, through His divine nature, and through the world around us.

PRAY! Dare to Risk a direct and decisive engagement with God!

PRAY! Dare to Risk a direct and decisive engagement with His Son, Jesus Christ!

PRAY! Dare to Risk a direct and decisive engagement with the Holy Spirit!

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, let us please PRAY,

Come Holy Spirit and Fill the Hearts of the Faithful

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in us the fire of your
love. Send forth your Spirit and we shall be created, and you shall renew the face
of the earth. O God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit did instruct the hearts of
the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever
enjoy your consolations. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.