Oh, I’ve heard a thousand stories of what they think You’re likeBut I’ve heard the tender whisper of love in the dead of nightAnd You tell me that You’re pleased and that I’m never alone
You’re a good, good FatherIt’s who You are, it’s who You are, it’s who You areAnd I’m loved by YouIt’s who I am, it’s who I am, it’s who I am
Oh, and I’ve seen many searching for answers far and wideBut I know we’re all searching for answers only You provide‘Cause You know just what we need before we say a word
You’re a good, good FatherIt’s who You are, it’s who You are, it’s who You areAnd I’m loved by YouIt’s who I am, it’s who I am, it’s who I am
“Good Good Father” by Chris Tomlin,
contemporary Christian music singer, songwriter
I love books.
I love books so much that I don’t even have enough room to put them on shelves.
They are everywhere!
God even wrote a book that I love to read. There are so many stories in it. Not just stories, but a lifeline. It is filled with history of mankind and how we all came to be. The ups and downs, mistakes and successes of life, right up to now. So many benefits. It is a human’s desire for intimacy and points to a human’s ultimate purpose: to be united with God and his wisdom. Oh, and one other point, it’s living!
Hebrews 4:12 tells us, “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than nay two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” We sometimes hear of someone saying about a book they read, “It totally changed my life.” Well, this is one of those books.
Will it make a difference? Of course it will! We don’t know our beginnings without Genesis and we can’t understand the future without Revelation. And all in between we learn how to live and not to live and not to repeat the same mistakes others before us made. Between all the pages God loves us and shows how He will bear us through our suffering and blesses us with how to fall in love and stay in love with someone. God rules the world even when He seems absent. Even when we misstep, we shouldn’t run from Him, instead draw even closer to Him. Jesus loves us afresh on every page. Try reading the Book, and see if it doesn’t make a difference in your life.
To get to the nitty-gritty of it all Psalm 119 provides us with blessing, stability, purity and delight. Although it is the longest Psalm, and the longest book in the Bible, I just want to give you a few ideas of what God had intended. God is revealing the surest and safest way through life’s twisted highways and byways.
God’s Book provides: Precepts or guidelines, what He expects of us.
Psalm 119:2, “Blessed are those who ..seek Him with the whole heart!”
Blessings are what we are favoured with when we walk in His ways, doing it thoroughly and well. When God’s Word takes root in our minds it produces fruit, that causes a change in the way we conduct ourselves and what we say.
God’s Book provides: Stability and understanding.
v. 98-99:”You, through Your commandments, make me wiser than my enemies…I have more understanding than all my teachers.”
Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”
Being intentional about sharing your faith with others and letting your light shine in all aspects of your life is nothing to be ashamed about.
God’s Book gives us Purity.
v, 101-102: “I have restrained my feet from every evil way, that I may keep Your word. I have not departed from Your judgments.”
Actively reading the Bible, we get to make changes about a sin or weakness to correct or a habit we want to strengthen to make us stronger. v, 11 “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.”
Lastly, God’s Book gives us Delight.
v, 103 “How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!”
The Bible was inspired by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us and helps us to understand the message. The Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets that He has freely given us. The Lord is a storyteller, and He knows we learn how to live by looking at positive and negative examples. You will travel through the wilderness and storms and learn how to come out the other side victorious. When a crisis hits you like a sudden storm, you will be blessed when you know how to delve into God’s Word and find the peace you need.
When we make an appointment with God every day, it changes us. These changes in our lives makes a relationship with God and can be one of our most enjoyable moments in our day. To some it is just an ancient book, but to the Spirit-filled believer it tutors us for life and a life worth living.
When God speaks with clarity and certainty in His Word, we should trust and believe in His promises and eagerly anticipate their realization in our lives.
v. 18, “Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law.”
Ask God to show you new truth from the passages. When you do, it will be like a neon sign, showing you just what you need for any moment in time.
To start your journey in God’s Book, perhaps you would like to first start a relationship with His Son, Jesus. If you would like Jesus to come into your heart, open it up with this little prayer and ask Him to come in and live there and show you the wonderous things you’ve been missing.
For someone new to God’s word, may I suggest you start in the New Testament and read Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. These first four books, called the Gospel, will help you understand and get to know Jesus. Who He is and Why He came. Then let God lead you through the rest. Pray for wisdom that you may understand and a desire to learn more.
May God Bless You.