This morning I read through these verses in Psalm 37.
The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom,
And his tongue talks of justice.
The law of his God is in his heart;
None of his steps shall slide.
The wicked watches the righteous,
And seeks to slay him.
The LORD will not leave him in his hand,
Nor condemn him when he is judged.
Wait on the LORD,
And keep His way,
And He shall exalt you to inherit the land;
When the wicked are cut off, you shall see it.
I have seen the wicked in great power,
And spreading himself like a native green tree.
Yet he passed away, and behold, he was no more;
Indeed I sought him, but he could not be found.
Mark the blameless man, and observe the upright;
For the future of that man is peace.
But the transgressors shall be destroyed together;
The future of the wicked shall be cut off.
But the salvation of the righteous is from the LORD;
He is their strength in the time of trouble.
And the LORD shall help them and deliver them;
He shall deliver them from the wicked,
And save them,
Because they trust in Him.—Psalm 37:30-40
All of them together were very encouraging but the ones my heart focused on were these two:
The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom,
And his tongue talks of justice.
The law of his God is in his heart;
None of his steps shall slide.—Psalm 37:30-31
There has never been a time in my almost 30 year walk with the Lord that I have not felt overwhelming grateful for His word. The verses above brought to mind two other verses. The first is from the Gospel of Luke.
A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.—Luke 6:45
Garbage in garbage out…God’s word in God’s word out. When the law of God is in our heart we walk securely and are a blessing to the people around us.
The other was from the Book of Joshua.
This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe 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. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."—Joshua 1:8-9
Joshua was to steep himself continually in the word of God. For then he would make his way prosperous and then he would have good success.
Beloved…Those words are just as true for us today as they were for Joshua so many years ago. Our God prepares us for whatever we will face as we diligently study His word daily. He arms us with His strength, His knowledge and His presence. It is only in Christ and His strength that we can "quit like a man"! The presence of the Lord eradicates fear and faint-heartedness. He upholds us and bears us up. His word renews our mind and reveals to us His will. Truly, time spent with the Lord at His feet and in His Word is eternal. It will always bear fruit to Jesus Christ and will not be taken from us. Immerse yourself in it. Hold fast to it. Stay in it continually and like Joshua, stand fast for the people God has placed in our lives. We are in a battle...eternity is at stake.
Father…I KNOW it is not in me to direct my own steps. Without You, I walk in darkness and stumble. I need You to guide both my steps and my life. I need the lamp of Your word to illuminate my path…I need it to bring Your wisdom and perspective to everything I face.
Oh Lord, I am a stranger in the earth…do not hide Your commandments from me. My soul breaks with longing for Your judgments at all times. Your testimonies are my delight and my counselors. I rejoice at Your word as one who finds great treasure. Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things and revive me according to Your word. How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth. Through Your precepts I get understanding. Your testimonies, Father, I have taken as a heritage forever, for they are the rejoicing of my heart.
Psalm 19 sums up my love of the word well.
The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul;
The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple;
The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes;
The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever;
The judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.
More to be desired are they than gold,
Yea, than much fine gold;
Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
Moreover by them Your servant is warned,
And in keeping them there is great reward.
Who can understand his errors?
Cleanse me from secret faults.
Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins;
Let them not have dominion over me.
Then I shall be blameless,
And I shall be innocent of great transgression.
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable in Your sight,
O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer.
