“The entirety of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever.”
—Psalm 119:160
THE HYMN WRITER described the Bible with the following words, “Holy Bible, Book divine, Precious treasure, thou art mine; Mine to tell me whence I came; Mine to teach me what I am. Mine to chide me when I rove; Mine to show a Savior’s love; Mine thou art to guide and guard; Mine to punish or reward. Mine to comfort in distress; Suffering in this wilderness; Mine to show, by living faith, man can triumph over death. Mine to tell of joys to come, and the rebel sinner’s doom…”
THE HYMN WRITER knew the only thing that can satisfy the longing in our soul is the Word of God. So often we are discontented with the things we possess, yet we obtain more in hopes of satisfying the longing in our soul. However, we quickly learn the hunger continues to plague us as it rages on. You see, the longing of man’s soul can only be satisfied by the Word of God. Scripture alone is the food for our soul. Jesus said in Matthew 4:4, “Man does not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” The Apostle Paul told the elders at Ephesus in Acts 20:32, “So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.”
THE WORD OF GOD is what the believer lives by. Scripture alone brings joy, comfort, peace, and satisfaction to our soul. The Word of God brings light to our pathway and illuminates the way before our feet in this dark world (Psalm 119:105). We cannot look to the wisdom of this world to give us guidance because “the wisdom of this world is foolishness” (1 Cor. 3:19). Only the Word of God is sufficient and dependable to guide us in this world. And only when others give us counsel in accordance with the Word of God will that counsel be reliable and trustworthy to be followed. “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night” (Psalm 1:1-2).
IS YOUR SOUL DISCONTENT with a longing that is never satisfied by the things of earth? Do you have troubles in your marriage, family, or employment? Do you struggle with certain sins in your life? The ONLY solution is to feed on the Word of God, which is the ONLY reliable and trustworthy guide that can give us the strength we need to withstand the temptations we face in this life. That’s why the Psalmist wrote, “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You!” (Psalm 119:11). Have you had your spiritual nourishment today? “As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby” (1 Peter 2:2).
Friday Devotional: August 16, 2024
In Christ,
Pastor S. Henry