Psalm 119:11 “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.”
We praise the Lord for His Word. It is given to be our guide and our compass in every aspect of our lives. In it we find the way of salvation and our hope of heaven. Reading it and applying its principles to our lives is a way of praising and blessing God.
When we repent of our sins and surrender our life to Jesus Christ, all of heaven rejoices.
Luke 15:7 “I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.”
No matter how long we have served the Lord, there will be times when we fail the Lord. We are human, and so we make mistakes, and often fall short of what the Lord wants of us. As we read the Word of God, we are convicted, and we ask the Lord for forgiveness. God responds and our peace is restored. Praise rises not just from our lips, but from the depths of our soul.
We cry out like David, “Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.”
When we read God’s Word, or when we hear it taught, there is something deep within our souls that responds. Accepting it and obeying it draws us closer to the Lord. I am reminded of the words in Psalm 42:7 “Deep calleth unto deep.” We realize how holy God is and we respond like the Psalmist in the first two verses of that same Psalm:
“As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?”
Like David, we praise the Lord continually, but at times that is not enough. Our soul has contacted a Holy God and we cry out, “Bless the Lord.”
Thought For Today: God wants what is best for us. We bless Him when we obey what He reveals to us through His Word.
Devotion by Anne Johnston
