Head Over Heels
Today’s Verse:
O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day. ~Psalm 119:97
When you are very much in love with your spouse, you are described as head over heels in love. For several consecutive verses in Psalm 119, the psalmist has indicated the stress and difficulty that he has had in his afflictions and how much God’s Word has sustained him. It is a lesson on how and why we must cling tightly to God’s Word for our life. In Psalm 119:97-104, we see the psalmist exclaiming how he became stronger through God’s Word. We see a believer who is head over heels about God’s Word. This morning, let us see how a love for God’s Word changes us.
There is a disciplined practice.
The psalmist gave himself to the meditation of God’s Word throughout the day. In fact, that is what consumed his thinking day in and day out. It requires our time and concentration. We cannot achieve a consistent victorious Christian life apart from the discipline of the meditation of God’s Word. Meditation is the means by which God’s Word will produce long-term changes in and through us. Meditation produces obedience and fruitful practices in us. Is the meditation of God’s Word one of your daily, scheduled events?
There is a discerning prudence.
“I have more understanding than all my teachers.... I understand more than the ancients.... Through thy precepts I get understanding.” A love for God’s Word gives us wisdom, understanding, and prudence. The psalmist catapulted in his spiritual walk and faith beyond that of his teachers and the prophets of old. He found himself making wise choices instead of foolish choices. He was not hasty in his steps, and he avoided falling into trouble. He was able to proceed into the future and know that God had perfectly led him. God’s Word is the only reliable means by which we can be wise about our lives.
There is a dependable protection.
God’s Word strengthens us and keeps us from evil. “I have refrained my feet from every evil way, that I might keep thy word. I have not departed from thy judgments: for thou hast taught me.... Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way.” A love for God’s Word keeps us from sin. It gives us hatred against untruthfulness and wickedness. It keeps us from letting our flesh get the best of us. It is the first thing that pops up in our thoughts when temptation arises.
There is a delicious propensity.
“How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” A mature believer considers God’s Word to be sweet like honey. Honey is a great food source when you are hungry or need a natural sweetener. God’s Word is analogous to honey to our palate. It takes the bitterness out of our heart. It sweetens a sour disposition. It opens our eyes and makes us realize how much we have missed. A love for God’s Word creates an insatiable desire that stays with us.
It is a good thing to be head over heels for God’s Word! The multiplicity of benefits of God’s Word to our life should create a conviction and practice of making it the priority for our life. “O how love I thy law!”
Have a Word-filled God Morning!
Bible Reading Schedule: Jeremiah 42-45