Last night, Psalm 119 broke me to pieces!! It is not the longest book in the Bible on accident! And if I've learned anything about things being repeated over and over again in the WORD, it's that the MORE it is repeated, the more it needs to be UNDERSTOOD! It was phrased in every way possible in this lengthy Psalm that:
-We need the fear of the Lord in our lives AND
-The WORD is to be a *delight* and something we LOVE with everything we have.
Love for the Lord our GOD as He is- royal and HOLY should result in also a "fear" or RESPECT of His divine authority over ALL! Because when you love someone sincerely and authentically, they HAVE your respect and you honor them with your respect and your love for them. How much more then should we HONOR and RESPECT and LOVE the HOLY GOD of Israel than we do each other! Does it not come SO naturally in our relationships with each other- at least those we truly love? Why then do we not also apply these things to our relationship with the LORD?
If we believe He is Holy, and we have chosen to love, honor, cherish, and respect His authority not only over all- but also over all in our lives, should we not ALSO have a love for the wonderful Words He has clearly given us?! If this book we claim to live our lives according to is what we believe to be the authoritative Word of God himself, why do we treat it so flamboyantly? I, for one, was extremely convicted yesterday as I realized that I did not even know where my Bible WAS. Granted, I had been reading from Brian's.. but honestly! I have not been faithful with getting lost in the Word! I have not been faithful with my relationship with the Lord. I have not been running in the opposite direction, I have not been rebelling. But I also have not been faithful with the commitment I've made to Him.
My commitment to Him says that He is my everything. He is my lover, my best friend, my companion, my redeemer, my Saviour.. among other things. My commitment to Him is a daily one, and an eternal one.
Time for a relatable comparison!
Suppose one day Brian (my husband) told me before heading off to work that he really wanted to sit down with me and talk to me about something he's really excited about, or that he wanted to spend some quality time with me.
While he's at work we text little things here and there, and he continues to remind me of how much he's looking forward to spending time together when he gets home. However, when he gets home, I'm busy cooking dinner, and while we eat together, no words are spoken. Then I rush off to finish the dishes. As he sits on the couch and waits for me, I take the laptop and begin typing away on my blog, or going on facebook, or checking my email, chatting with girlfriends, looking up the fun little facts about this week's pregnancy update, etc. I can feel him looking at me, and wanting to be with me, but I will soon. He's not going anywhere. I make a cup of tea, and put on some Christmas music as I make a list of things to accomplish the next day. Right after, I check to see if anyone has commented on my post and with a big yawn realize how late it has gotten. I feel him standing in the bathroom with me as I brush my teeth and wash my face, wondering if I'll be awake enough to spend time with him as I promised. But I climb into bed, ask for forgiveness as I realize I've neglected him and am now too tired to give him the attention I know he deserves, and fall asleep.
We would never dream of doing something like this to our husbands/wives..
yet we do this to our Holy Bridegroom.
Psalm 119 is the longest chapter for good reason. Without a true respect and honor and fear of the Lord, and without the WORD, we cannot withstand this world and all it dishes out. This world is a fallen one, and so bad things happen. The Lord promises to help us through those times, and He promises that although things may not go perfectly in this world, He has provided a way to the Perfect one's Kingdom, and has been preparing a place specifically for us, if we'd only accept.
When we have a reverent fear of the Lord, a respect and honor for His name, it takes away SO much of our worries! As humans, we LOVE to worry and to wonder and to want to understand and it's exhausting! Without a proper fear of the Lord, we worry much more about the things that will pass away, but what about the things of LASTING value? What about our relationship with Jesus Christ?
We may still wonder how things will go, if we'll see a miracle in a certain loved one's illness or if we'll ever finish that big goal we've set, if our baby will be healthy, if we'll have enough money after that unexpected medical bill or car repair.. we worry about so many things! We may still WONDER how these things will turn out, but one thing we CAN trust and that we CAN lean upon is our Lord our God and the unchanging Word, love, and faithfulness He's given! To try and stand on our worries is sinking sand, but to stand on the Word is ROCK. These things are true and we can find so much peace if we would only open our hearts and minds as we trudge through learning His Word, maybe even for the first time and ask Him to reveal His ways to us.
From Luke 11:
9"So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
11"Which of you fathers, if your son asks forf]">[f] a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"
Maybe you've heard this passage before. If you were to literally translate this, verse 9 would actually read, "KEEP ON asking and it will be given to you; KEEP ON seeking and you will find; KEEP ON knocking and the door will be opened to you."
Let Him know how much you want whatever it is you're asking for. If it were a father in the flesh, you would make your point very clear as to what you are asking of him; let it be no different for your Heavenly Father! Keep asking. Keep seeking. Keep knocking. He'll answer.
What have you promised Him? What is your commitment to Him?
If it's time to renew your vows, do so with humbleness and with fear of the Lord- with a reverence and respect for who He is and who He wants to be for you. Remember that He has been faithful to you regardless of where you may have run to. He was right on your back just waiting for you to turn around and look him in the face; to turn around so He could wrap His arms around you and give you the forgiveness and mercy and grace He's been longing to give. All we need to do is ASK, be respectful, and be humble enough to receive.
As promised:
The roast was amazing, though it was a little small, I think we had just enough. I guess it's a good thing Anji doesn't eat pork, because I really do not think we would have had enough food! She did not go hungry though :) I made her chicken tenders.
Also, the homemade applesauce was YUMMY and gone.
Last night, I made garlic bread and this homemade Beef&Bacon Potato soup.. I LOVED it, but ended up making yet more chicken tenders for Brian as he was not as fond of it as I! It didn't bother me one bit, though.. more soup for me! It was also gone.. apparently the baby liked it too! :o)
Hi Friend :) I "tagged" you in an award :) Hope you don't mind!
ReplyDeleteps. beauuuutiful post - i love hearing what you are processing!