40 Days of Prayer, Day 16
Day 16, Monday, September 5
Psalm 19:7-10 “The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring 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 judgments of the LORD are true; they are righteous altogether. They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.”
The Bible Declares the Righteous Sovereignty of God
Psalm 19 can easily be broken into two major themes. The first six verses declare God’s revelation of His glory as seen in His creation. In particular, Psalm 19 states that the sun, moon and stars declare the glory of God. God speaks to us in the creation, but He also speaks to us in His Word. Psalm 19:7-14 shifts our attention from the glory of God as revealed in His creation to the glory of God as discovered in His Word. Notice the pattern found in verses 7-10. Here are the terms the psalmist uses to describe the Bible: “The Law of the LORD…the testimony of the LORD…the precepts of the LORD…the commandment of the LORD…the judgments of the LORD…” Each of these titles describe the same thing, the Bible. The Bible is God’s Law. The Bible is God’s testimony. The Bible is God’s precepts and commands. The Bible provides us with God’s judgments. With each successive title the author also provides a captivating descriptor: The Bible is “perfect…sure…right…pure...true.” These titles connected with these descriptions constitute a compelling reason to study the Bible.
A contrite heart releases its own authority and submits itself to the authority of God. God’s authority over us is revealed primarily through His Word. Though God reveals His glory to us through the creation as we have seen in Psalm 19:1, it is through His Word that He reveals His glorious sovereignty over us. An unrepentant heart rejects the sovereignty of God. To the unrepentant heart, God as the Creator is one thing, but God as the sovereign Law Giver is quite another thing altogether. To see the beauty of God’s creation in the sunrise and sunset is to acknowledge God as the designer with incredible wisdom, power and beauty. To see the beauty of the authority of God as disclosed in the Bible is to acknowledge God as the rightful sovereign ruler over our lives. A contrite heart sees the beauty of God in the Creation and in the scripture for in the Bible we see the glorious righteousness of God. We must desire to know what God has said. We must desire to read the things that God has provided as they are perfect, sure, right, pure, and true. An unrepentant heart sees God’s Word as an interruption to self-rule. A contrite heart sees God’s Word as it really is, the words of our rightful Lord.
Prayer Focus
O God, thank You for Your Word. I long to have my desires reflect Your priorities. I confess Your sovereignty over my life. You are the Creator of the universe and have displayed Your beauty in the creation. You are also the Sovereign ruler of the universe and have revealed Your righteous standard for my life in the Bible. I love Your Word. Reveal Yourself to me more and more through the truths revealed in Your Word. Amen.
From Bunyan’s The Acceptable Sacrifice
When the Word of God is seconded by mighty power, then the same Word is as the roaring of a lion, as the piercing of a sword, as a burning fire in the bones, as thunder and as a hammer that dashes all to pieces (Jer 25:30; Amos 1:2, 3:8; Acts 2:37; Jer 20:9; Psa 29:3-9). Therefore, it is to be concluded, that whoever has heard the Word preached, and has not heard the voice of the living God therein, has not as yet had their hearts broken, nor their spirits made contrite for their sins. The heart is broken and the spirit made contrite by the Word, and truly it is when the Word comes home with power.