Mensa Otabil - God's Law Gives Us Peace
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We’re talking about God’s peace throughout this week, and I trust that God will keep you in His peace as you meditate on His word: Psalm 119, verse 165. Great peace have those who love Your law, and nothing causes them to stumble. Many times in life, we feel trapped in trouble; we feel like we are caught in a place where there’s turmoil all around us, and often we’re unable to see our way out because we are so surrounded by difficulties.
The psalmist here tells us that we can enjoy great peace-not just peace, but great peace. He tells us how to enjoy this great peace, and if you’re looking for peace, this is how you enjoy great peace: those who love God’s law enjoy great peace. At the heart of our quest for peace are God’s word, God’s law, and God’s promises contained in His word. You know, one of the reasons why people lose their peace is because of what they hear and see every day. These days, it’s not just what you hear from friends or what you see happening around you; it’s also because of the media.
We see what’s happening all over the world, so when there’s a hurricane somewhere, although it doesn’t touch us, we see it and hear about it. When there’s an earthquake somewhere that doesn’t affect us, in other times, we may never have known it happened, but now it’s at our front door, so we hear about it. Each day, we are bombarded with news and information, much of which is very troubling. Something has gone wrong somewhere; something bad has happened. There’s insecurity, violence, and war going on.
Our fathers and grandfathers didn’t have to deal with this; they only dealt with what was happening around them, so they lived relatively peaceful lives, but we live very troubled lives. Why? Because there’s so much trouble around us, and that is why we have to go into God’s word. We are bombarded with so much troubling news that we must stay in God’s news, and God’s news is the Bible, the written word of God. You have to remain there. The scripture says those who stay in God’s word have great peace. For every bad news you hear out there, you must counteract it with God’s good news.
Read the words of Jesus Christ. Read about God’s promises and how God delivers the afflicted; then you can counteract all the news you hear in the world. Great peace belongs to those who love the word of God or the law of the Lord. It says that those who love God’s word will not stumble; they will not lose their steps. Why? Because God’s word is our guide. God’s word directs us, and because we are in God’s word, we don’t stumble; we don’t make hasty decisions.
Many times, the reason people get into trouble is that they fear too much, panic, and take a step that leads them into trouble. They fear that something bad will happen, so they do something worse than what they feared, and they get into trouble. But those who love God’s word do not stumble; why? Because they are anchored in the safety of the word of God, and the word of God keeps our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. As you go through your life, I pray that God will give you great peace from His word, that in spite of everything you hear, read, and see, you will enjoy great peace that comes only from the word of God.
Let’s pray. Sit with me: Heavenly Father, Your word brings me peace. Order my steps and keep me from stumbling. In Jesus' name, amen and amen.