May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.
Psalm 19:14 NIV 1984
What a powerful yet simple prayer. My pastor prays this out loud as he starts every sermon and I’ve wondered where he found it. Now I know and it is the end of a gorgeous psalm of thanks and praise. Psalm 19 is a great reminder of how amazing God is. It starts out powerful, a reminder that God created everything.
The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge.
Psalm 19:1-2 NIV 1984
Wow, even the sky proclaims God’s glory. It’s hard to look at the stars and imagine that all that beauty happened by millions of accidents, but people do. God created a beautiful universe for our pleasure, and it shows the skill of it’s Maker.
The law of the Lord is perfect,
reviving the soul.
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy,
making the wise simple.
The precepts of the Lord are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.
The fear of the Lord is pure,
enduring forever.
The ordinances of the Lord are sure
and altogether righteousness.
They are more precious than gold,
than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
than honey from the comb.
By them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.
Psalm 19:7-11 NIV 1984
Wow, God’s Word is reviving, perfect, radiant, pure, eternal, more precious than a lot of gold, and sweeter than fresh honey in a land without sugar. All that in a book that is freely available to any who search for it. (The book isn’t free, but you can find it free online or at libraries and many churches give out copies.)
Think of the thing that makes you happiest in this life. Today’s culture likes to talk about self-care, so let’s assume you have a go to way to make your day better. Maybe you relax with a favorite book or take a bubble bath. Maybe you have a favorite painting or sculpture that makes you smile. Maybe you are proud of the expensive car or purse that you saved up for and bought. Maybe there is a meal or snack that you always go to when you have a bad day. Psalm 19 says that God’s Word is more reviving than all of that. Different parts of scripture can be comforting and reinvigorating at different times, but all of God’s Word is better than anything you can buy or make.