Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight. Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain. Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word. Psalm 119:35-37
I have shared in previous posts that my favorite season is fall. I love all things fall: the food, the pumpkin-scented candles, the cool, crisp weather, and the vibrant autumn trees. The kaleidoscope of fall foliage in Virginia and West Virginia is visually stimulating. People come from all over the world to see the beauty of the Shenandoah Mountains as the leaves turn spectacular colors to create a breathtaking palette along the mountain ridges. Despite knowing and remembering what a fall should look and feel like, it’s difficult to discern that fall has arrived in my new surroundings. The tall evergreens, palm trees, and warm temperatures don’t give even the slightest hint of the change in season, even though the calendar says otherwise. The calendar tells one truth, but my surroundings do not validate that truth. What is your plum line for truth? Is it the world (surroundings) or the Word (calendar)?
This world gives us ample opportunity to question what is truth or untruth. We are constantly bombarded with half-truths and lies in every venue of our lives. We can’t trust everything we read on the internet. Our politicians blur the facts regularly. Photographs can be manipulated, as well as statistics and comparisons. Even our minds and eyes can deceive us. But the word of God is entirely true, always has been, and always will be. That truth will never change.
Psalm 119 is the longest psalm and contains the longest chapter in the Bible. It is a repetitive meditation on the magnificence and value of God’s word. This psalm is intended to function as an instruction manual and a plum line for living a godly life. It is a psalm that brings great comfort in times of trial. “Remember your word to your servant, for you have given me hope. My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life” (Psalm 119: 49-50). We can look for comfort in many places. Still, the unshaken fact is all we really need to sustain us is the precious promise that the Lord is faithful to His word. Unlike my faulty senses that try to tell me it is still summer and not fall during my daily walk, the psalmist reminds us that God’s word is indisputable, “The statutes you have laid down are righteous, they are fully trustworthy” (vs. 138). God’s word is not affected by easily deceived human senses or time. “Your word, O Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens. Your faithfulness continues through all generations…your laws endure to this day” (vs 89-91).
Truth is a relative term to much of society; there is no plum line. When you need to know the truth about yourself, the truth about people, the world, the future or the past, the truth about what brings joy and happiness, and especially the truth about God, then there is only one source. It is God’s word (John 17:17). Ironically, the answers to all those questions we often ask ourselves can be found in Psalm 119. I would encourage you to spend some time this week reading and meditating on the many, many truths found within the verses that cannot all be expounded upon in the space of this tidbit. I tell you the truth: doing so will bring your soul joy! And that’s your Tuesday Tidbit.
The picture is of my Dad’s home and the beautiful West Virginia fall foliage on the family farm.