This is a post I wrote for Counting My Blessings about a year and a half ago. I thought it might be worth sharing with you here at 5Min.
I began my morning by reading Psalm 117 and 119 as God had led me to set my thoughts on the center of His Word.
Psalm 117 is the shortest chapter in the Bible, and Psalm 119 the longest.
Look with me for a moment at the words of Psalm 117:
Praise the Lord, all you nations;
extol Him, all you peoples.
For great is His love toward us,
and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever.
Praise the LORD! (Hallelu Yah – Hebrew)
Psalm 118:8 is often the verse quoted as being in the center of the Bible. If it’s not the center it certainly is the core:
It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man.
Psalm 119 is an acrostic, it contains 22 segments each beginning with a consecutive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Aleph, Beth, Gimel . . . to Taw. I want to share with you a few of the verses that spoke to my heart and blessed me.
Blessed are those who obey His written instructions. They wholeheartedly search for Him. v. 2
In deed, your written instructions make me happy. They are my best friends. v. 24
Remember the word you gave me. Through it you gave me hope. v. 49
Your hands created me and made me what I am. Help me understand so that I may learn your commandments. v. 73
Oh, how I love your teachings! They are in my thoughts all day long. v. 97
Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path. v. 105
Your written instructions are mine forever. They are the joy of my heart. v. 111
You are my hiding place and my shield My hope is based on Your Word. v. 114
There is nothing but truth in Your Word, and all of Your righteous regulations endure forever. v. 160
May you find blessings galore in the center of God’s Word!
I love this Deb. I especially love vs. 114. I love that He is my hiding place, my place of refuge. I put my hope in the truth of His word. Love it!
I, too, LOVE LOVE LOVE Psalm 119! There is such rich encouragement to be found there on being in the center of His Word…on reading it, living it, loving it!
I actually pray v.61 over my daughters often…that when evil people try to drag them into sin, that they will be FIRMLY anchored to His Word!
Thanks for sharing!
K
As a ‘word person,’ I love how not only does God communicate to us through Words, but He tells us so much about His words too. The verses you pointed us to prick my heart with the conviction that I want my boys to have His word in their hearts the same way I did when I was growing up. It’s not as easy any more as so many churches have moved away from encouraging kids to bring their Bibles, learn their way around it, to memorize verses, etc. I know this isn’t where you were taking this message, but I appreciate the reminder that I’ll need to take responsibility for making sure my boys know this same confidence/joy/security/hope.
Blessings,
Mary
Thanks Girls, I agree Mary! We are blessed if we were raised with the Word of God and it is a blessing to be able to do that for our children. I am beginning now by singing words of Scripture over my infant grandson. God is so good!