What the Word Does
“The Word is the reward…the Word is near. It is attainable. It is offered to us.”
“The law of the Lord is perfect [blameless],
reviving the soul;
the testimony of the Lord is sure,
making wise the simple;
the precepts of the Lord are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is pure,
enlightening the eyes;
the fear of the Lord is clean,
enduring forever;
the rule [just decrees] of the Lord are true,
and righteous altogether.
More to be desired are they than gold,
even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey
and drippings of the honeycomb.
Moreover, by them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.” (Psalm 19: 7-11 ESV)
Please tell me I am not alone here. Like many of you, I have fallen victim to ordering products that just don’t deliver what is promised in the ads. I am a sucker for a good ad. I know- I should know better! My husband loves to make fun of me when these products inevitably fail and leave me disappointed. Sometimes it is a shirt or dress sent from another country, 3 sizes too small! Sometimes it is the latest miracle serum for my face or stickers to put on my face overnight that should magically erase signs of aging. Probably the one he questioned most of all was my most-recent purchase of a detox cleanse…don’t ask! I was just so certain that I needed this and that it was going to deliver. Usually though, I completely waste my money.
Here is what I love about God’s Word- it never fails. It never disappoints. It fulfills everything it promises because God fulfills His Word. No misleading ads here that leave us disappointed.
The tragedy in my walk with the Lord is that I have failed to go to His Word on occasions. I wasted precious time turning to other sources for the sustenance that only His truth provides. I walked in a season where I lost a passion for it. It felt stale, so I stopped opening it as often. I failed to see it for the treasure it is- God’s precious, spoken Word to us.
Take a look at Psalm 19: 7-11. David lays out many of the benefits of God’s Word. Oh I love it- it transcends all of my own abilities. No matter how much effort I put forth, I can’t manufacture the benefits for myself that being in the Word provides. And neither can you…we have all tried and failed.
Here are just a few things David reveals about God’s Word in the psalm:
It revives. It makes my simple mind wiser. It gives joy to my heart. It opens my eyes. It endures. It is true. It is righteous. It is sweet. It warns. It is our reward.
There it is: being in the Word is the reward.
So what do we do when we forget all of this? What do we do when the desire isn’t there to read and study God’s Word?
1. Transparently ask God to help give you a desire for His Word.
Pray this verse: “Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law” (Psalm 119:18 ESV). Ask God to ignite a desire in your heart. It is okay to admit this to the Lord: God, help me to want to desire Your word. He already knows your heart, so be transparent with Him. I have found that when I train my heart to ask for Him to open my eyes to see the wonder in His words, He will every single time.
2. Create some stillness.
This is so very hard in our culture and one of my biggest struggles. But it is essential for our spiritual lives to create space where we can actually listen. I pride myself in being a great multi-tasker and a fast worker. When I try to apply this to studying God’s word, it doesn’t work out. On several occasions in the Old Testament, God’s voice is barely audible, a whisper. It is easy for us to miss when we are surrounded by so much noise. Jesus models the importance of stillness for us as He frequently draws away from the crowds, even his disciples, to be alone with the Father: “But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray” (Luke 5:16 ESV). Carving out time for yourself to meet with the Lord in stillness will be a reward, and everything else you do will flow out of it. We have to make time to get alone with the Father as Jesus did.
3. Get some accountability.
This is crucial. I have been blessed to be a part of Discipleship Groups and Women’s Bible Study Groups. Both provided me with the opportunity to meet with others and break down what I was reading in my private time with the Lord. Groups can give you much-needed accountability so that you stay grounded in truth on a daily basis. In seasons where I had strong accountability, it was easier for me to make God’s Word a priority. Even if it isn’t a group, find one person to walk with you. If you are married, no other person can fulfill this role better than your spouse. In this way, “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another” (Proverbs 27:17 ESV). I have seen this to be so very true in my own life, and I know that it will certainly be true for you!
The Word is the reward. I need it so desperately. I need to be revived- there are days my heart and soul are just exhausted. I need wisdom so that I can lead my children and detect God’s will. I need joy in the grief, in the mundane, on days when my flesh and my heart fail me. I need vision. I need endurance when the finish line feels far. I need truth to combat Satan’s lies. I need righteousness and holiness, because apart from Christ, I am wretched. I need the Word’s richness and worth, its sweetness. I need its caution and warning to serve as my protection. I need the reward of intimately knowing the Father.
Here is the beautiful part of it- the Word is near. It is attainable. It is offered to us.
When Moses is on the brink of death, he reminds the Israelites of this beautiful, astounding truth:
“For this commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend to heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it” (Deuteronomy 30:11-14 ESV).
Isn’t this incredible news? We aren’t dependent on anyone else to retrieve this gift for us. It lives in us- Immanuel. He dwells within us. His Word, always before us. We just have to open it up and receive it.