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MMB - 13 March 2017

Today's GO TO Verses ...

 In my time today with Jesus sipping my coffee I was impressed with the following Scriptures:
  • Psalm 119:25 "My soul clings to the dust; revive me according to Your Word"  and
  • Isaiah 44:6 "Thus says the Lord, 'I am the First and the Last; besides Me there is no God'"
Psalm 119 is the great chapter in the Bible that is centered around the Word of God. The Lord in His great wisdom utilized a myriad of words describing the Scriptures in these hundred plus verses found in chapter 119. Words like, testimonies, decrees, statutes, laws, commands, precepts are just a few that are used. They mean essentially the same thing in the context of this chapter, but the variety of terms used make the teaching come alive and more vibrant. In fact, teachers through the ages have used this method in getting across their message. Repetition without boredom, you might say. When I give a Bible teaching, I prepare by using a valuable tool on my word processor - the feature that finds synonyms ... interchangeable words that mean essentially the same thing in context. We communicate so much better when we use word explanations in this way. God the master communicator did this skillfully in Psalm 119. The verse above referred to (119:25), simply uses the term "Word". God could of used any other synonymous word but instead straight forwardly said the main thing with the use of "Word". The context is so impressive! Look at it. 'My soul (my very being ... who I really am) clings (sticks to, grips, adheres to) to the dust (context depicts desert or even death) ...' So the Psalmist uses "dust" as a contrast to LIFE because the next phrase begins with the word, "revive"! Only the dead need reviving. Whether physical, spiritual, emotional ... deadness is deadness! Revival is LIFE RENEWAL. The beauty of this verse is clear: "revive me (bring me back to life ... renew my dead spirit ... resuscitate life back in me) according to Your Word" -- any other synonym would not perfectly fit here. You want to see how powerful this terminology used in this way is? Look at John 11. This is the account of Jesus' friend, Lazarus who died and is buried in a tomb. He goes to the tomb and in verse 43 we see Jesus speak. It says, "He cried with a loud voice 'Lazarus, come forth'". Jesus' Word bring reviving to a dead man! And if Jesus didn't qualify "Lazarus" in His reviving words ... every tomb around the world would have burst forth with revived dead people! I want God's power in me. It comes by a consistent encounter with Almighty God by being in the Scriptures ... His Word!

With all that said, can you imagine my amazement when I began reading the other chapter of Scripture I've been meditating on in Isaiah? "There is no God besides Me" (44:6). I don't need to figure things out on my own. I don't need to take my problems or circumstances to anyone else but my Lord God ... Whose Word Speaks Life to my dust-ridden soul!  The deadness of my flesh manifests itself daily and it needs to be knocked down with Reviving Words by the All-Powerful, All-Knowing, All-Present God. Let's sweep off the dust of deadness with the might of God's Word. Reviving is that close. Open it up and read ... and LIVE! 

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