I LOVE GOD’S WORD!!
Here’s what I read in my devotions this morning from Psalm 103. I encourage you to read the entire psalm and follow my guidelines in the last paragraph:
1 Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and all that is within me,
bless his holy name!
2 Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits,
3 who forgives all your iniquity,
who heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit,
who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
5 who satisfies you with good
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
6 The Lord works righteousness
and justice for all who are oppressed.
7 He made known his ways to Moses,
his acts to the people of Israel.
8 The Lord is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
9 He will not always chide,
nor will he keep his anger forever.
10 He does not deal with us according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
I know this seems like such an obvious statement, but in the course my life (and ministry) the Lord has demonstrated over and over again that dealing with life’s (and ministry’s) issues are always anchored in God’s Word.
Whether we are dealing with the continuing issues from decades ago such as life issues; dealing with more current issues such as the COVID 19 pandemic; engaging the ongoing issue of racism, or whatever next item is thrown at us in an attempt to destroy our faith in Jesus, the unity as children of the same heavenly Father, and the calling, gathering, and enlightening work of the Holy Spirit in the individual believers and the whole Christian church on earth; we can be assured that God’s Word remains a timeless guide, strength, peace, and refuge.
Were these words true, challenging, and comforting when David wrote them nearly 3,000 years ago? YES! Were these words true, challenging, and comforting when the children of Israel read them in exile in Babylon thousands of years ago? YES! Were these words true, challenging, and comforting when Jesus was walking the earth a couple of thousand years ago? YES! Were these words true, challenging, and comforting when the early Christians were being persecuted and slain for their unshaking faith in Jesus? YES! Were these words true, challenging, and comforting when Martin Luther and other Scripture-guided Christians were standing solely on the Word of God against others who sought to kill them? YES! Were these words true, challenging, and comforting when immigrants fleeing non-Scriptural teachings and persecution hundreds of years ago on the dangerous waters of a vast ocean? YES! Were these words true, challenging, and comforting when a little more than 80 years ago our country had come through a multitude of wars? YES! Are these words true, challenging, and comforting as we deal with all the issues of today and the decades, centuries, and millenia to come? YES!
YES! YES! YES!—a thousand times YES! We can be certain that God’s Word remains THE guide, strength, peace, and refuge ALWAYS. We have the one eternal God whose Word is always current, always powerful, always 100% true, always challenging, and always comforting.
These days are difficult and stressful for all sides to the issues of our day. Often we turn to non-Scriptural sources for our security, reassurance, and forgiveness. The concerns change from day to day.
Why can we always say with certainty that throughout time that God’s Word is “true, challenging, and comforting when . . .”? Because throughout all time it is God’s Word and His word is always current, always powerful, always completely true, always challenging, and always comforting.
These days are difficult and stressful for all sides to the issues of our day. Often we turn to Facebook, our favorite online websites, e-mails from friends, and other non-Scriptural sources for our security, reassurance, and forgiveness.
I encourage you to take the time every day to turn to God’s Word, read it—read it again—be honest with your current concerns and fears—read it again—apply it to yourself and our current state. You will be amazed at the truth, the challenge, and the comfort you will find in that Word of God. The precious Law and Gospel challenges and promises it contains for all of us, for all time, and in all issues. Then in faith in Jesus, lift it up to the Lord in prayer—Pastor Peter M. Peitsch