“How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word.” (Ps 119:9 NIV)
My admonition to you, as you face this new day, is that you abide in the word of the Lord. That is because it will keep you from losing your mind or going astray in this world of darkness. As we see in our opening text, the only way we can keep ourselves from being polluted and ruined in this world is to live according to the word of God. And that is basically because the word of God gives us the true view of every issue of our lives.
In John’s Gospel, chapter 1, verse 9, he refers to the word of God as the true light that gives light to everyone that comes into the world. That means it is only when we observe our lives, the matters of our lives and our world under the light of the word of God that we see them as they truly are. Yes, it is then that we see them as God sees them.
In a Psalm of Asaph, Psalm 73, he speaks of how he almost lost his confidence in God because of what he had seen in the ungodly. He had watched them prosper in their arrogance, wickedness and immoral living and had felt that he probably was wasting his time practising righteousness. Have you too ever felt like that? Have you ever felt like it was useless or silly to be honest, diligent, godly or law-abiding? If you have, it would most likely be because of what you saw in those around you that were wicked, lawless, immoral and godless. You saw them prospering and doing all kinds of big things in spite of their lawlessness and rejection of the ways of God. But you didn’t seem to be making any progress in spite of your commitment to God and to His righteousness. So, you felt, “What do I gain by keeping myself pure and holy in this place? Where is my refusal to take bribes, to extort people, to falsify figures, to cheat or to embezzle public funds taking me?”
Well, Asaph also once felt that same way. And according to him, the reason he felt that way was that he was looking at life with the light of his senses. Therefore, all that he could see in his life, as he compared it with the lives of those around him who didn’t know or care about God, was failure and misery. And that really shook him. It made him want to give up on God and follow the path of wickedness.
But then, while he was still disturbed in his mind about the seeming prosperity of the wicked, he was led by the Spirit into the sanctuary of God. And when he got there and heard the word of God, he began to see things differently; he began to see things as they truly were. That, of course, brought about the restoration of his soul. And then he could say of his relationship with God:
“Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” (Ps 73:25-26 NIV)
Now that is wonderful. A view from the sanctuary of God changed everything for Asaph, and he no longer was envious of those of the world or unhappy with himself. And what gives people this kind of perspective is the word of God. It makes you see things from God’s point of view; it makes you see things for what they really are. And the moment you begin to see your life and your world for what they really are, you will never again lose your mind because of the evil in the world or feel disappointed that you are on God’s side. Instead, you will have your heart continually strengthened and encouraged to embrace God as your strength and profit in this life, even if it looks like you are a total loser.
So, stay in the light of the word, looking at life with it, and never let anything – science, medicine, philosophy, psychology or witchcraft – take its place in your life. For its light is true light.
Have a very lovely day.
Life Application: Think of one situation that is troubling you right now – a delay in your progress, a colleague who cheats and seems to get ahead, or a decision where a shortcut is tempting you. Before you react, take it into the sanctuary: set aside fifteen minutes, open your Bible, and ask, “Lord, how do You see this?” Read Psalm 73 slowly, then write down one thing in your situation that you now see differently. And make it a daily habit to read the Scriptures before you read the news, social media or other people’s opinions, so that God’s view is the first one that shapes your day.