Devotions…

I would hope that Pastors encourage Christians to read the Scriptures as part of their devotional life.  Trust me, it is good for the soul to read God’s word and to meditate on it, even if you would only do so for fifteen minutes a day.  By the way, don’t just read what a devotional says, although that can be very useful, also read the bible passages listed.  

This past week or so while we have had family over from NZ, instead of reading our usual devotional material, we agreed we should do something a little ‘lighter’ for the grandkids.  As a family, they had been reading through the Psalms and it just happened they were up to Psalm 119.  

Psalm 119?  Did I hear some chuckles?  That’s the longest Psalm in the Psalter, surely the grandkids couldn’t cope with that! It will take forever to read it.  Well, it may surprise you, it didn’t take all that long actually.  We only read two Hebrew alphabet letters every day.  That is just sixteen verses for each letter of the Hebrew alphabet in Psalm 119 contains just eight verses (sometimes we read four letters – evening devotions as well).

But hey, what a beautiful Psalm. Throughout, the Psalmist is delighting in, and taking pride in the fact that God is good and that His law is good and that he lives by it.  He delights and loves to meditate on God’s law (vv15-16, 47, 97). His soul is consumed by longing for God’s law (v20).  He finds comfort in God’s law (v50). Even when things are not going well and he is afflicted, it is good for him for it drives him to God’s word (vv71, 76). He delights in God’s law and becomes upset when his foes forget God’s law (v139). 

As a ministry couple, we have been blessed having our children and grandchildren close for ten days and we have been blessed to read Psalm 119 together.   It not only speaks about the goodness of God’s law but also speaks about comfort, knowing that God is for him.  God’s law and word also give assurance of God’s salvation for those who love Him.   And if that was true for the Psalmist pre-cross, how much more so for us being post-cross, knowing what Jesus has done for us who have been loved by God from the beginning in Christ.  

Without doubt, Psalm 119 is a long Psalm, 176 verses, but so worthwhile reading.  It has been good for our souls and I pray it may be good for your souls as you take up the challenge to just read two letters of the alphabet a day for the next few days.  JZ