You, O LORD, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light. With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall. As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him. For who is God besides the LORD ? And who is the Rock except our God? It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights. He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You give me your shield of victory, and your right hand sustains me; you stoop down to make me great. You broaden the path beneath me, so that my ankles do not turn. Psalm 18: 28-36, NIV.
Our Gracious God and Father of humankind, Here we are once again in Your holy presence. We need You Holy Father to direct our path, and to lead us according to Your will. Please never depart from us, we pray in the blessed name of our LORD and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
You will notice that a part of our Scripture is highlighted. That is because today, this is the portion that we will be concentrating on. This psalm is so power-filled that one could be studying it for months to come, and still not exhaust its depth! Yesterday we feasted on the first part, and I was blessed, as I discovered anew, my own potential in God! Our God is a mighty God, and we are His children! By His grace, we are destined to be saved! In His strength we can go on conquering, until we breathe our last breath! We are not victims of anyone or of any system! God still sits Sovereign on His throne, and every earthly monarch is still subject to His authority. They can choose to obey Him or not to obey Him, but in all things, Michael and His angels will prevail! Hallelujah!
“As for God, his way is perfect[.]” I know that is the truth! How often I have gone to the LORD with my plans, so sure that there was nothing to add, and certainly, nothing to take away, only to have Him, in mercy, take it from me, and give me, in exchange, His perfect plan for my life! His “plans [are] for [my] welfare, and not for harm” (Jeremiah 29: 11b)! We often fail to see the pitfalls in our plans, because our eyesight is so limited! We see only what is before our eyes, and many times, only what we want to see! Not so with God! Scripture informs us, “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him” 2 Chronicles 16: 9a). He sees the big picture. He sees the beginning and the end. I believe that He lives in the past, the present, and the future, simultaneously, because He is the great I Am! He is without beginning, and without end! He is limitless! He is God!
“[T]he word of the LORD is flawless.” Our world is so full of flaws, that the concept of flawlessness, is not new to us, it is non-existent! We see someone who is beautiful, or we see a newborn baby, and we exclaim, “He or she is flawless!” What we are perceiving at that moment is what God intended for us! But do not forget, that, an enemy visited God’s creation, and not only touched it, but he also changed the price tags in the storehouse of the Almighty. What was considered of great price, has been ridiculed, and cast aside as worthless (morals, values, inner-beauty). And the high cost items (lawlessness, disrespect, hedonism); these are the top shelf items. But glory be to God, the Word of the LORD still remains perfect! Human interpretation of God’s Word is full of flaws, but the Word of the LORD is flawless, because its Author, is flawless!
Note, I did not say its scribes (the writers of the Bible); I said its Author! I am referring to the One behind the true meaning of His Word! The One who could stand up to scribes and Pharisees, and say: “You never got it right did you? You have never interpreted my Word adequately, have You? You say, ‘Love your neighbor, but it is all right to hate your enemies, But I, the Author of the law say, ‘Love your enemies, and not only that, pray for them! That is how the children of My Father in heaven behave. Don’t you see His sun, even now is shining on everyone, good and bad? And the next time it rains, just take note, it is not only falling on the ‘good,’ the ‘bad’ are also being refreshed (Matthew 5: 43-45, my paraphrase)! Hallelujah! Let us never forget that, “The law of the LORD (all of His Words, His precepts, statutes) is perfect, reviving the soul” (Psalm 19: 7)! For this reason, with God, “I can do all things!”
We will continue!
PLEASE NOTE THE CHANGE IN THE TITLE.