Psalm 19 has become one of my favorite Psalms because it connects general revelation (created order) and special revelation (the Bible). In Psalm 19:10, the David tells us that God’s Word is to be desired “more than Gold”. That message appears odd in a culture that values money and success above all else. How many of us would be willing to go to the market and exchange our monthly salary for a Bible? The Psalmist is urging and pleading with us to delight in the Word more than anything. God’s word should be our greatest delight because its pages reveal God’s plan to redeem rebels. My prayer is that this post will move you to stand in awe at God’s glorious word.

Recently of my Welch College professors, Mr. McAffee, made the following statement,

“If you want more of the Spirit, get more of the Scripture. A lot of our churches are starving for the Spirit-filled life that the Word produces. It is as simple as following the means of faith found in Scripture. If we truly believe that the Spirit gives us the Scriptures and works through the Scriptures, we must have a certain level of faith in this means of faith. It is about being prayerful and seeking the Lord. The mundane, repetitious, reading and praying Scripture is what brings life to the people of God. Let the Scriptures guide us in our worship!”  

These convicting comments were made following our discussion on the role of the Holy Spirit in sanctification. As I reflected on these things, I was reminded that God’s word should bring wonder to His people. Wonder is a sense of awe or amazement at someone or something. David recognized his proper place was at the feet of his Creator, gladly submitting to His instruction. David stood in awe of God’s word and we should too. God’s word is the conduit by which sinful rebels are converted into saved sons. Many times churches celebrate when a person receives Christ as Lord but they never teach new believers the importance of the Word. Discipleship cannot happen without the consistent study of the Bible.

The emphasis on this awe invoking Word is one of the main reasons I love Welch College. God’s word is central to everything we do at Welch College. Wednesday evening services have given me a new appreciation for the Word. We open campus church with a Scriptural call to worship, followed by scriptural songs, followed by either a responsive reading or testimony, followed by more scriptural songs, and then we listen to the preaching of the scriptures. Many times I have come into these services discouraged and defeated, but at the conclusion of the service my heart is encouraged and my mind strengthened. God’s word is uniquely changing the lives of young people at Welch College.

God has chosen to reveal Himself through the created order and His word. It is amazing to think that God reveals and calls the nations to himself through His word. God’s word is readily attacked by those who do not believe, but we should not be surprised. God’s word has been under attack since the Fall of Man recorded in Genesis 3. Satan posed the question, “Has God really said that you should not eat this fruit?” As Christians we must continue affirming the inerrancy of Scripture. That is, we accept God’s word as true and reliable. For more on inerrancy, see this great article from Answers in Genesis.

Learning to delight in the Word

You will not gain a deep appreciation of Scripture right away. It takes time. Reading the Bible should never be something you do just because you feel like it is required of you. It should be something you enjoy doing. A disciple of Jesus delights in the words of Jesus. (See Luke 10:38-42.) I have incorporated the following things in my own devotional life and they have helped me delight in Scripture.

1. Pray the Scriptures. A good place to start is Psalm 19. I can explain more about that if you are interested.

2. Get involved in a church where Bible teaching is top priority. Many churches are more concerned about music than they are about the Word. Music is a gift from God and should be done in excellence, but it should never take the place of solid Bible teaching. If your church does not make Scripture the main priority, then you are likely attending the wrong church.

3. Commit to spending 10 minutes more each day reading the Scriptures. It is not about quantity, but quality. Spending time in God’s word is the only means by which our minds can be renewed.

4. Find a small group to meet with in which Scripture is discussed outside the church walls.

The end of the matter

I stand in awe of God’s word and hope you do as well. From beginning to end the story of the Bible is about redemption. Although the Bible was written over a span of several hundred years by multiple authors it remains the most reliable book on the planet. The Bible has been translated into more languages than any other book. In the pages of the Bible you will find that God is relentlessly pursuing you. That is pretty amazing because none of us are worthy of His pursuit. (Romans 3:23)