Psalm 119:118 (NIV)
Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your Law….
As I read our Verse of the Day, I immediately connected with the message. For the past couple of years, I have endeavored to read through the entire bible from Genesis to Revelation each year. It has been a challenge at times, but I am proud to say that I have stayed the course so far. I’m a little behind at this moment, but I have been doing additional study and reading commentaries that have slowed my reading plan. I share this not to elevate myself; rather, I think it explains why my eyes have been more open to see and understand the “wonderful things” available to us in the Word of God.
I have been a serious student of the bible ever since I was saved and entered into a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus. I have read the entire bible from Genesis to Revelation several times over the years; but most of my study time, I tended to stay in the New Testament … honing my theology and knowledge of Christ. As a result, I did not venture into the foundations of the Old Testament as often as I should. So, it has been exciting for me each year to “re-discover” so many nuances and details that I have missed or forgotten since my last reading. It has truly been a delight to become disciplined again in my reading … connecting the dots … visualizing the course of God’s redemptive plan over the history of mankind … and gaining renewed perspective on the spiritual heritage God’s holy prophets and apostles have passed along through the millennia.
So why have I shared my personal bible study disciplines? Because I want to encourage all of us to spend more time in the study of God’s Word. I want us to see through spiritual eyes all the wonderful things, insights, and inspirations that God has revealed to us through His Word. Indeed, it is a life-long journey of study … learning to probe the depths of its knowledge and to find its hidden treasures of wisdom. For it was written by the Holy Spirit as He inspired and prompted holy people over the ages to record the expressed thoughts that our Creator and Father wanted to communicate with us. As Peter explained:
2 Peter 1:16-21 (NKJV)
16 For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. 17 For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” 18 And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. 19 And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; 20 knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private origin or interpretation, 21 for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.
Yes, the Word of God is spiritual, and it is received and understood within our spirits. When Jesus taught with parables, He once commented to His disciples: “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.” (Cf. John 6:63) The Apostle Paul affirmed: “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” (Cf. 1 Corinthians 2:12-14)
So, here is the application. We cannot discover the “wonderful things” contained in the Word of God if we do not read it. Our hearts and minds will not be open to its wisdom and understanding for life if we do not have the Holy Spirit leading us into its truth. (Cf. John 16:13) Again, as Paul instructed Timothy, “But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (Cf. 2 Timothy 3:14-17)
Indeed, the Word of God has the incredible ability to impact and change our lives:
Therefore, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. (Romans 10:17)
For this reason, we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the Word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the Word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe. (1 Thessalonians 2:13)
For the Word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)
Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring Word of God. (1 Peter:22-23)
These are just a few passages that emphasize the “wonderful things” we can see in the Word of God. Yes, I encourage you to spend more time in your reading and study. I am sure you will find more insight each time you open up the scriptures; and what you discover for yourself will be exciting to learn … and to share with others. Indeed, Lord, open our eyes and our hearts to see and apply your word. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
So Now You Know 