Savoring%20The%20Word

Savoring the Word; Savoring God

 

Psalm 119:11 I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.

 

I have several Bibles which I own. I have two in my office, one in my briefcase, another 5-10 at home. Some are different translations while others deal with specific subject matters, such as prophecy. Some are worn and tattered as a good Bible should be while others sit seemingly neglected. What I am afraid they all have in common in my life is that they are taken for granted. They were there yesterday and they are there today so I assume they will always be there. Perhaps I do not savor the words as much as I should because of the freedoms I live under. Lord forgive me.

 

Because then I read the stories. You know the ones. The stories from other countries. The countries we try not to think about too often. The ones that do not enjoy the freedom we enjoy here in America. The stories about how individual chapters of the Bible are copied and passed around through an underground network of underground churches, filled with believers who are starving for the Word of God. Not copies of books of the Bible, but mere chapters. Something to savor. Something to hold onto. These are the stories we do not want to have to think about because they force us to come face to face with our own complacency. Stories like the one about Wang Xiaoguang and his wife, Yang Rongli arrested in 2009 for operating an underground church in China and sentenced to seven years in prison. Seven years for worshipping Jesus Christ. Seven years for raising their hands in surrender to God. Seven years for copying individual chapters of the Bible and treating them like pure gold. So the question I feel God asking me today, as we enter into a new year, is what is it that I value?

 

"Sell your possessions and give to those in need. This will store up treasure for you in heaven! And the purses of heaven never get old or develop holes. Your treasure will be safe; no thief can steal it and no moth can destroy it. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be. Luke 12: 33-34 (NLT)

 

Where is the Word of God in our value system today? Are we storing it up within ourselves? Do we truly value it; or is it being taken for granted? Do we have more copies of the Bible in our homes than we have moments per week that we actually read it? What would happen if tomorrow the Bible was banned in this country? If we lost the ability and freedom to have 24 hour access to it? What spiritual shape would we find ourselves in over time?

 

We find the answer in our key verse today. Tucked away in the 11^th verse of the longest Psalm, we see the Psalmist instructing us on the Word and we see a two salient points to remember. First, the Psalmist instructs us as to the nature of the relationship we are to have with the Word of Almighty God. We sometimes read the Word as if it is an academic endeavor. We turn the holy Word of God into an educational assignment. To be studied, probed, and analyzed. While it is important to delve into deeper truths it is more important that the Word of God is internalized. Note the Psalmist says that he hides the Word of God in his heart. What do we typically hide? We hide what we find is of great value to us. Jesus told a Parable with a similar theme:

 

"The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field. Matthew 13: 44 (NLT)