By Jossy Binz | Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia | 22 June, 2023 | Share A Thought
“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer” (Psalms 19:14, NKJV)
Psalm 19 begins with a metaphorical message from the heavens. The skies of day & night, the sun, the moon, and the stars display the works of a Master craftsman. Though they utter not, their message is heard aloud (19:1-6). They declare the glory of an almighty God. Their size and grandeur shout out to the world that the one who created them is glorious, and they are the evidence of His glory.
The Psalmist continues to say that the in the same way that the Heavens declare God’s glory, Scripture also reveals about the awesome God. It indicates that His Words are perfect, trustworthy, insightful, pure, true, and righteous. They revive and bring new life to the soul, make wise simple and godly, and help find joy and absolute pleasure in His truth and relationship. They give comfort and confidence amid darkness; they are everlasting and righteous (19:7-9). David claims that the value of the Word of God is more desirable than fine gold and sweeter than honey. He gives two reasons why it is more desirable than material wealth or worldly pleasures. They give instructions or warnings about sins and dangers; they are beneficial and reward to those who keep them (19:10-11).
When we recognize that King David had only a portion of what we have today as the Word of God, we can realize the intensity of David’s love and trust for this awesome God. Though the Word was not fully revealed to him, he believed in what he had received and cherished them as the Word of God.
If David, in his limited revelation, loved and trusted God passionately, how much more should we love and adore God for His unfailing love and complete revelation through Jesus Christ? The Scripture says, For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). God displayed this great love while we were still sinners (Rom. 5:8). Jesus showed us that God is not a distant entity, but our heavenly Father. Those who believe in Jesus are accepted as the children of God and are given the privilege to go near His presence anytime and from anywhere. The merit of that privilege could be understood in the light of the Old Testament sacrifices, where the person was obliged to go to the temple and sacrifice an animal to atone for his sin. But Christ's atoning death on the cross was sufficient for our sins, and through faith, we can avail the benefit of it - The benefit of entering into God's presence.
David knew that only this God could cleanse him from his secret faults and unknown errors and prevent him from committing presumptuous sins. He realized that they could potentially take dominion over him. So, he rightly prays to God to help him stay free from the control of the enslaving sins (19: 12-13). As God's children, in Christ, we have been freed from the authority of sin and death (Rom. 8:2). We are no more slaves to sin. We are a new creation. Holy Spirit abides in us. Since we are living by the Spirit, we should follow the Spirit's leading in every part of our lives. Then we will not satisfy the yearnings of the flesh; instead, we will yield the fruit of the Spirit and bring glory to God.
David desires that both the thoughts of his heart and the words of his mouth be pleasing unto the Lord (19:14). He knew that they were inter-connected. In Luke 6:45, Jesus also connects the heart and the mouth when He says, "A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of". The heart must be filled with what is pleasing to God so that the mouth can produce what He desires. Finally, David looks up to this awesome God as his strength and redemption. He realized he needed a redeemer, and this faithful God would deliver him. David strongly believed that this glorious and awesome God of creation and revelation was his stronghold and rescuer, so it was necessary to please Him with his thoughts, words, and deeds.
In the grand perspective of heavenly bodies displaying the glory of God, it is incredible to comprehend that the God who created everything is keenly looking forward to our words and thoughts to be acceptable to Him. Our admiration of the magnitude of glory of God will grow as we realize this.
Like David, let us also trust God and dedicate ourselves completely to Him and pray, "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, Oh Lord my God."
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