Tag: God

Posted in Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, God is good, Journey Through The Word, Prayer Starters, Quiet Time, Spirit

Off The Beaten Path

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Speaking in Love Instead of Speaking Your Mind

This morning, long before I had spoken a word to anyone other than God, I was opening my devotion for the day. My morning devotions are not typically found in a book but in emails or texts from bloggers and speakers that I have found to be Scripturally sound. I love doing it this way since I also post a daily devotion, and I have found that it is good to glean from other trusted sources.

All of the devotions are beautiful reminders of God’s goodness and faithfulness, but some – like today’s – are filled with words of correction and/or reminders of His expectations for His children -corrections and reminders that sometimes come with a bittersweet “ouch” as you realize that the topic is something you’ve struggled with (or perhaps still struggle with).

If you’ve never had trouble with your tongue before – such as speaking before thinking instead of thinking before you speak… or tearing down rather than building up… or speaking the truth but not in love… or words of gossip, anger, unkindness, slander, hate, lies or… the list goes on, but my point is – If your tongue has never been used in any of these ways – then this devotion may simply be sweet encouragement, rather than the bittersweet ‘ouch’ I experienced. However, since James has declared the tongue to be an untameable instrument1, I would venture to say that at least one of these examples strikes a chord in your heart – reminding you of a less-than-spectacular use of your tongue at some point in your life – either way – I encourage you to read on. The author’s words may sting at first, but they are truth-filled reminders of God’s faithfulness to not only teach us His ways but to faithfully remind us of His expectations for His children … expectations like using kind, gentle, and true words. Our words are supposed to encourage and build others up and not tear them down or hurt them. As the blog points out, they are to be spoken in love – which is why this particular devo brought a bittersweet ouch for me – as I have not always used my tongue in accordance with God’s expectations.

“The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” Proverbs 12:18 (NIV)

I hate to admit it, but I have struggled in the past with this untamable instrument. You see, my tongue has, at times, been quick to speak, and it has gone way off the grid of patience and self-control. So, despite the bittersweet ‘ouch’ of the author’s words, I find myself extremely thankful that this is the devotion God pointed me toward this morning. I am grateful for the loving reminder of His forgiveness and guidance and His patience to change me from the inside-out. I pray it will be a blessing of guidance and encouragement to you as well. 🦋

My prayer~ Father, the tongue is untameable - BUT You have given us Your Spirit who produces in us the fruit of the Spirit, including patience, kindness, gentleness, love, and self-control! So that we are without excuse to use our tongue for anything but good and encouraging. May Your love be evident in all we say and do. Let us not forget that our words have the power to hurt others or to point them to You. May we use our tongues to Your glory and honor - Amen!

–

Please don’t miss the following post, which is borrowed and shared from Encouragement for Today/A Proverbs31 Ministry blog received in my email 7/22/24 –

https://proverbs31.org/read/devotions/full-post/2024/07/22/speaking-in-love-instead-of-speaking-your-mind

Posted in Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, Prayer Starters, Quiet Time

Off the Beaten Path

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Our Best Defense Against Spiritual Drought1

Today’s Scripture: Isaiah 58:11

The Lord will guide you continually,
And satisfy your soul in drought,
And strengthen your bones;
You shall be like a watered garden,
And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.

Isaiah 58:11 NKJV

Have you ever found yourself in a spiritual season of drought – droughts of finding words to pray, droughts of sensing His presence, or droughts of struggling to even pick up God’s Word? I know I have and my heart aches at the remembrance of such times or at the thought of them coming again. However, today’s devotion/blog by Michele Morin, offers great encouragement that even in our seasons of drought God is with us. Even then He is guiding us, strengthening our ‘bones’, as Isaiah wrote, and reviving us with streams of water that flow through the parched landscapes of our lives.

I pray it encourages you as much as it did me 🦋

Staying motivated and excited about reading and studying the Bible is our best defense against the spiritual desert.

Living Our Days / Posted on  by Michele Morin
Read the Blog
How to Stay Motivated and Excited About Reading the Bible
  1. Title and quotes by Michele Morin as published on Living Our Days/July 21,2024 ↩︎
Posted in Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, God is good, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Prayer Starters, Psalm 119, Quiet Time

Run to God and His Word

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WHERE DO YOU RUN WHEN LIFE GETS HARD? / borrowed and shared from the LGG study of Ps 119

by WhitneyD | originally posted Aug 7, 2015 | 

I lay in bed next to my tender boy… the one who wears his heart on his sleeve. He feels it is unfair, but I whisper in his ear that his biggest struggle also has the potential to be his best gift. 

Help him to see it for himself one day soon, Jesus.

His high emotions serve him so very well when all is well. But when life gets hard? Well, he’s still learning how to navigate those rough waters. For now, he just wishes that he didn’t feel so much. Care that much.

He wants to see himself as God sees him, but it’s not always that easy – even with the best of intentions and in all of the trying. I get it buddy… I really do. Fair and right and easy living aren’t generally things this world hands out in abundance, and I haven’t seen a silver platter circulating the masses recently.

Ever feel like it would just be easier to run away from it all?

It starts out sounding like the best option – sometimes the only option. Only when we run, the hard still lingers within us. On this earth, no one escapes hard buddy. 

But hard has the most amazing potential when Jesus enters the picture…

___________________________

“Everyone is running somewhere,” I tell him. “But what you believe about God will determine where you run.”

May my cry come before YOU, oh Lord…

give me understanding according to Your Word.

May my supplication come before YOU;

deliver me according to Your promise.

~ Psalm 119: 169-170

trust

Doubt, fear, and shame tell us to run and hide. They tell us it would be way easier to stay in bed, to ignore that phone call, to throw our very own patented version of a temper tantrum and just plain refuse to show up.

But hard can also drive us to the cross.

Maybe hard has way more than just potential. Because of Jesus, what if hard suddenly became our greatest gift?

Hard strips away built-up pride and can lead us to a place of humility.

Hard crushes illusions of self-sufficiency and can push us to seek for a solution beyond ourselves.

Hard uncovers calloused hurts and shameful pasts and can awaken us to our need for forgiveness.

Hard exposes our deepest sins and can bring us to our knees in repentance.

Hard turns our eyes away from worthless things and can drive us straight to His Word…

… if we’ll let it.

The best time for new beginnings is now. You don’t have to run away any longer. Not because you’re suddenly stronger, but because you can run to the One who is.

Will the hard still come even after you lay it all down?

You betcha. But this time, you can turn the other direction and instead of running scared you can run in great confidence.

You can put on your brave face and embrace those waves, holding your head up high as you ride them straight into the arms of your Savior.

“I have learned to kiss the wave that throws me against the Rock of Ages.” ~ Spurgeon

God, your Word is a priceless treasure. Help us to run to it, for it’s there that we find YOU.

At His feet,

Posted in Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, God is good, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Prayer Starters, Psalm 119, Quiet Time

Let Daily Praise Arise!

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based on the LGG Study of Psalm 119 / w8d1

Scripture: Psalm 119:161-164

Rulers pursue me for no reason,
yet I am more afraid of disobeying your instructions.
162 I rejoice in your instructions,
like one who finds much plunder.
163 I hate and despise deceit;
I love your law.
164 Seven times a day I praise you
because of your just regulations.

Psalm 119:161-164 NET

While our focus./SOAP is to be on the last portion of this passage, I couldn’t help getting caught up with the statement that the writer of the Psalm was more afraid of disobeying God’s instructions than he was of the authorities that pursued him without cause. It prompted the question, ‘Do I fear1 disobeying God more than I fear those who “pursue me for no reason,” or for that matter, all of the other concerns of life that strike fear and trembling in the heart and mind?” In other words, do I have more love and respect for God’s Word than I do for the dangers that threaten? –

When we fear God, we acknowledge He is holy and highly exalted the only One worthy of our worship and complete obedience.

gotquestions.org/fearing God

The second portion of today’s journey, particularly the declaration that he hated deceit and loved God’s law, brought more questions to mind. Namely, do I “hate and despise deceit?” If not, how can I then say, like the Psalmist, “I love God’s law?” For God hates a lying tongue. It is a “detestable evil to God, who is a God of truth.”2 To have anything but contempt for deceit is to disregard the Word, which is the truth of God.3

A lying tongue is one that speaks falsehood, knowingly and willingly, with an intention to deceive others. Lying can be used to impugn the character of a brother or to flatter a friend. It is a most detestable evil to God, who is a God of truth. Nothing we do causes us to more closely resemble the devil, who is the father of lies (John 8:44).

gotquestions.org/a lying tongue

The last portion of the verse presented me not so much with a question as with a challenge/inspiration to praise Him from the rising of the sun to its going down. Praise Him when you awaken, when you lie down, and all the hours in between. Look for reasons to praise Him. While I do not believe that seven times is a mandate, I do believe it represents a day filled with praise, and as we have seen from this Psalmist, in good times as well as difficult times.

The More We Know

For more insight, check out the links below as well as the Love God Greatly blog

Posted in Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, God is good, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Prayer Starters, Psalm 119, Quiet Time

It Only Takes a Spark

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Psalm 119:145-160; Week 7 response/recap
My Response

What a great week it’s been in this week’s journey through Psalm 119! Hope…power…prayer…, and loyal love – these are all found and experienced and heightened in and through God’s Word! His true, righteous, and reliable Word is our strength in weakness, our light in darkness, our wisdom in life… our peace and comfort for fears and sorrows…and our salvation and victory over sin and death. There is no greater gift, and we must never waste it! 🦋

The following post is borrowed and shared from the lovegodgreatly.com site. I pray you will read the beautiful post and find a wealth of wisdom and encouragement from every word. Grow from it and share it as you are led – remember: it only takes a spark to get a fire going! –

passing it down to the next generation.

The precious Word of God, read and treasured…worth more than any gem or stone.

Posted in Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Prayer Starters, Psalm 119, Quiet Time

Repetition & Persistence

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Scripture: Psalm 119:157-160 / w7d4 of the Lgg study of Ps. 119

The enemies who chase me are numerous.
Yet I do not turn aside from your rules.
158 I take note of the treacherous and despise them,
because they do not keep your instructions.
159 See how I love your precepts.
O Lord, revive me with your loyal love.
160 Your instructions are totally reliable;
all your just regulations endure.

Psalm 119:157-160 NET

Oh, how I am loving our journey through this Psalm. It is a constant example of prayer, boldness, and persistence in coming before God, It is encouragement to come before Him persistently and boldly. It is an inspiration to stay faithfully in love with God and true to Him despite the threat of the enemy. or other circumstances we may face. The Psalm brings conviction to my heart to pray repetitively for those who do not love or keep God’s instructions. It is also a reminder to trust in and depend on the Lord’s “loyal love” and the reliability of His Word – which is the true and evident basis for the psalmist’s persistent request and hope for revival.

 Consider how I love Your precepts; revive me, O LORD, according to Your lovingkindness: The psalmist asked God to look at his love for His word, but then asked for revival on the basis of God’s lovingkindness instead of on his own merit.

Enduringword.com

The following commentary is borrowed and shared from a wonderful commentary I found on this particular part of our journey through Psalm 119. I pray you will take the time to read it, as it has much to offer.

 (Ps 119: 157-158) Keeping to God’s word despite persecution.

Many are my persecutors and my enemies,
Yet I do not turn from Your testimonies.
I see the treacherous, and am disgusted,
Because they do not keep Your word.

a. Many are my persecutors and my enemies: The psalmist lived life in the real world, not sheltered in a constant Scripture-study environment. His trust in the word of God was forged in the real world, a world full of persecutors and enemies.

i. “Persecution, to the false professor, is an occasion of apostasy (Matthew 13:20-21); to the faithful servant of Christ, it is the trial of his faith (1 Peter 1:6-7), the source of his richest consolations (Matthew 5:10-12, Acts 13:50-52, 1 Peter 4:12-16), the guard of his profession (Matthew 10:16, Philippians 2:14-16), and the strength of his perseverance (Acts 20:22-24).” (Bridges)

b. Yet I do not turn from Your testimonies: The presence of so many persecutors and enemies did not make the psalmist despair or doubt the love of God for him. He didn’t have the expectation that a godly life was a problem-free life. Instead, he was determined to keep turned to and focused on the word of God.

i. “So long as they cannot drive or draw us into a spiritual decline our foes have done us no great harm, and they have accomplished nothing by their malice. If we do not decline they are defeated. If they cannot make us sin they have missed their mark. Faithfulness to the truth is victory over our enemies.” (Spurgeon)

c. I see the treacherous and am disgusted, because they do not keep Your word: It wasn’t that the psalmist expected godly behavior from the ungodly – something that Paul warned about (1 Corinthians 5:9-13). He felt disgusted because God and His word were being disgraced, even if it came from the disgraceful.

i. “I was sorry to see such sinners. I was sick of them, disgusted with them, I could not endure them. I found no pleasure in them, they were a sad sight to me, however fine their clothing or witty their chattering. Even when they were most mirthful a sight of them made my heart heavy; I could not tolerate either them or their doings.” (Spurgeon)

ii. This sensitivity toward sin and passion for the glory of God is entirely characteristic of the revival that the psalmist prays for repeatedly in this section.

iii. “A fellowship with the joys of angels over repenting sinners (Luke 15:10) will be accompanied with bitterness of godly sorrow over the hardness and impenitency of those, who keep not the word of God.” (Bridges)

4. (Ps. 119: 159-160) Revived by the completely true and lasting word.

Consider how I love Your precepts;
Revive me, O LORD, according to Your lovingkindness.
The entirety of Your word is truth,
And every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever.

a. Consider how I love Your precepts; revive me, O LORD, according to Your lovingkindness: The psalmist asked God to look at his love for His word, but then asked for revival on the basis of God’s lovingkindness instead of on his own merit.

i. “A second time he asks for consideration. As he said before, ‘Consider mine affliction,’ so now he says, ‘Consider mine affection.’ He loved the precepts of God – loved them unspeakably – loved them so as to be grieved with those who did not love them.” (Spurgeon)

b. Revive me, O LORD, according to Your lovingkindness: An idea stated before (Psalm 119:88) is here repeated. Revival is never deserved or earned, but given from the lovingkindness of God.

i. “The consciousness of need is revealed in the thrice repeated, ‘Quicken [Revive] me.’ He feels the weakening of his very life under the pressure of circumstances.” (Morgan)

c. The entirety of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever: The psalmist again declares the infallible character of the word of God. The entire word is true, not merely portions or individual concepts from the word. Not only is it true; it is eternally true.

i. “The Scriptures are as true in Genesis as in Revelation, and the five books of Moses are as inspired as the four Gospels…. There is not one single mistake either in the word of God or in the providential dealings of God. Neither in the book of revelation nor of providence will there be any need to put a single note of errata. The Lord has nothing to regret or to retract, nothing to amend or to reverse.” (Spurgeon)

Posted in Bible study

The Power of God’s Word

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Scripture: Psalm 119:153-156 / W7D3 of LGG’s Study of Psalm 119

See my pain and rescue me.
For I do not forget your law.
154 Fight for me and defend me.
Revive me with your word.
155 The wicked have no chance for deliverance,
for they do not seek your statutes.
156 Your compassion is great, O Lord.
Revive me, as you typically do.

Psalm 119:153-156 NET

Have you ever been so desperate that you’ve prayed in this manner before? Pain, fear, danger, and/or trouble meet you around every corner, and you find yourself so weary and worn from it all that your very life seems to have been drained out of you – to the point that you need to be revived. I don’t know what kind of danger or trouble the psalmist faced from the wicked that he has mentioned, but regardless of the reason, he cries out for the Lord to see him…rescue him…fight for and defend him… and then my favorite request – the crescendo of them all: “revive me with your word.” The psalmist saw God as powerful and able to come to his aid, which isn’t surprising, but how awe-inspiring that he attributes life-giving power not just to God but to His Word as well. I can’t help but think of the words of Solomon to his sons, teaching them the wisdom he had received from God – words of wisdom that he said were life to those who find them and healing to their entire body.

My child, pay attention to my words;
listen attentively to my sayings.
21 Do not let them depart from your sight,
guard them within your heart;
22 for they are life to those who find them
and healing to one’s entire body.
23 Guard your heart with all vigilance,
for from it are the sources of life.

Proverbs 4:20-23

May we faithfully pay attention to the wisdom of God that we find in His Word. May we not let them out of our sight and diligently keep them in our hearts. May we never forget the power of His Word and not hesitate to ask Him to revive us with it – trusting that His words bring life to those who find them and healing to one’s entire body. Oh, may we all learn to pray in this manner when we face troubles of any kind. May we pray like this when we are tired and weary and worn down from seasons of strife or battles of physical or emotional health. May we pray like this for others who are struggling and/or at the end of their rope. May we remember that God cares about us and pray with boldness for Him to see us and rescue us, fight for us, and defend us. – May we pray it all in the name of Jesus – who is the Living Word of God, fully God and yet fully man, who came to reveal God to man and redeem all who believe in Him from their sin.1

The More You Know

See how to make today’s passage into a beautiful prayer for a friend or yourself

Posted in Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, God is good, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Prayer Starters, Psalm 119, Quiet Time

Prayer and the Word

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Scripture: Psalm 119:149-152

Listen to me because of your loyal love.
O Lord, revive me, as you typically do.
150 Those who are eager to do wrong draw near;
they are far from your law.
151 You are near, O Lord,
and all your commands are reliable.
152 I learned long ago that
you ordained your rules to last.

Psalm 119:149-152 NET

While I am not easily intimidated – when I am – whether it be due to those who are eager to do wrong or simply those who have a surly personality, I have learned to trust that when God is near (and He always is) not even the toughest or most fear-inducing person or situation can overpower the peace and joy of His presence. If, for some reason, I cannot sense His presence, I have learned to trust His heart, which He has revealed to us in His Word.

I love the opening words of this passage, “Listen to me because of your loyal love. O Lord.” We should imitate this posture of humility in all of our prayers— coming not as one who depends on his own goodness or worthiness but on the faithful love of the Lord. However, I believe the keywords in this passage are found in verse 151, where the Psalmist declares the Lord’s nearness and reliability. When we know these truths and stand upon them as the promises of God, we will not be shaken in the face of danger. This isn’t to infer that we will never be afraid, but that when we are afraid, we will trust in the one who has said/promised: “Do not be afraid, for I am with you. Do not be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you, I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”

One commentator said it like this: “Though the wicked are near to injure, because far from God’s law, He is near to help, and faithful to His word, which abides forever.” –

Biblehub.com
Encouragement for the journey

Humble yourselves before God and pray. One of the ways we humble ourselves before God is to cast on Him all of our cares/anxieties – not just the ones we think might be important enough but all of them because He cares for us.1 Prayer is one of, if not the greatest, privileges and assets of the Christian’s life. We have been given direct and bold access2 to God and every assurance that we can trust Him to not only hear but answer.3

Like the Psalmist, tell God your concern(s),

Those who are eager to do wrong draw near;
they are far from your law.

Psalm 119:150

and then remind yourself who He is and what He has said or promised.

You are near, O Lord,
and all your commands are reliable.

Psalm 119:151

If you aren’t sure how to pray or prayer itself intimidates you, remember that God has given us His Word, which is filled with untold examples of praying. To pray God’s Word back to Him is both freeing and refreshing, and I believe brings God great delight. 4

Posted in Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, God is good, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Prayer Starters, Psalm 119, Quiet Time

Finding Hope In God’s Word

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Scripture: Psalm 119:145-148

I am becoming more and more forgetful, but I have not forgotten how and when I met God – or the years that followed. I remember the ebb and flow of growing in Him throughout my childhood and into my teens and throughout my adult life. I have not forgotten the waxing and the waning of my faithfulness to Him nor the pits of muck and mire that He pulled me from along the way! I remember the sin and the shame but those memories are always followed by the beautiful revelation of God’s grace that is greater than all of my sin. I remember not just His grace but His great love, a love that brings me hope, for it is because of His great love that I wasn’t and am not consumed. It is because of this great love and hope that I learned to call out to Him in prayer, not just in the morning but throughout the day and into the night.

I remember my affliction and my wandering,
    the bitterness and the gall.
20 I well remember them,
    and my soul is downcast within me.
21 Yet this I call to mind
    and therefore, I have hope:

Lamentations 3:19-21

I cannot recall these memories without also recalling the prophet Jeremiah and the words of his sorrowful lament in Lamentations chapter three – when he remembered his affliction in the days following the destruction of Jerusalem. However, like Jeremiah, I find hope when I also recall the Lord’s great love. Jeremiah described this as God’s compassions that never fail – and I can testify to this truth. For it is because of His great love that I wasn’t consumed. Instead, I was pursued and delivered by His grace from the entrapments of the world into a relationship with Him – and a desire to keep His rules. I no longer found hope in my works or doing/being good but in talking to God and reading His Word. I fell in love with Him through His Word. I also had a baby in these early days of renewal, so like the Psalmist in our journey today – I looked to God in the early morning and looked forward to the naps and nighttime hours when I knew I could pray and meditate on His Word.

22 Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
    for his compassions never fail.
23 They are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness.
24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;
    therefore I will wait for him.”

Lamentations 3:22-24

Oh, the beauty of these memories and of His faithful mercies, which are still new every morning! As my memory fades, this one prayer increases: May I always remember His Word and never forget that God, in His great love, pursued me, delivered me, and changed the desire of my heart.

25 The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him,
    to the one who seeks him;
26 it is good to wait quietly
    for the salvation of the Lord.

Lamentations 3:25-26
Encouragement for the Journey

Let’s never allow God and His Word or time in prayer to be just a “To Do” on the agenda of our day. Instead, let’s purposefully set aside or find time to spend with Him in His Word and in prayer. Let’s seek to know Him – His desires…the things He loves and delights in, and the things He detests… Let’s learn His rules… observe His character…put Him first in our lives – loving His ways over the ways of the world. Let’s look for His fingerprints every day, listening for His ‘still small voice,’ and learning to trust Him with every need and thank Him for all He has done.

The More We Know

You won’t want to miss this beautiful devotion from the Love God Greatly Team

Posted in Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Prayer Starters, Psalm 119, Quiet Time

Joy in His Commands

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Scripture: Psalm 119:137-144

I grew up in a home where going to church was a Wednesday and Sunday habit, prayers were prayed, and God’s Word was taught and instilled in us. I am forever grateful for this part of my childhood. The foundations that were laid are priceless and counted as a treasured gift from the Lord. However, as I was reading this passage today – the thought hit me again of how easy it is to become so familiar with the Word and even with God through the eyes of others that we can find ourselves caught up in a religion rather than a relationship with God. We wake up one day to find ourselves living off of the beliefs and the truths we’ve heard preached, only to realize that they lack the joy and substance that come from a life spent with God.

Don’t get me wrong, it is a great gift to grow up in a godly home and to be familiar with God and His Word from infancy, and to place your faith in Him at a young age – but at some point, we must make it our own faith and build on the knowledge we have been given by searching out the Scriptures as the Bereans1 did and by building a relationship with God through Christ that leaves us able to say of our God the same beautiful truths that the Psalmist declared – by belief and experience – he knew and trusted God and found his joy in God’s commands – so much so that he became filled with indignation when others, namely his enemies, disregarded God’s Word.

Read the passage again, noting all of the declarations the Psalmist makes about the Lord. He sees God as righteous and His regulations as fair. He proclaims God’s laws to be perfect and completely trustworthy. He reveals that his love for God’s promises is based on the fact that they have been thoroughly tested, most likely throughout the course of his own life. He doesn’t just assess the Word of God but makes particular note of the indignation he feels because his enemies have disregarded God’s Word. My favorite acknowledgment and assessment comes in verse 143, when he talks of the joy he finds in God’s commands – even when the stresses and pressures of his life weigh him down.

O Lord, you are righteous,
    and your regulations are fair.
138 Your laws are perfect
    and completely trustworthy.
139 I am overwhelmed with indignation,
    for my enemies have disregarded your words.
140 Your promises have been thoroughly tested;
    that is why I love them so much.
141 I am insignificant and despised,
    but I don’t forget your commandments.
142 Your justice is eternal,
    and your instructions are perfectly true.
143 As pressure and stress bear down on me,
    I find joy in your commands.
144 Your laws are always right;
    help me to understand them so I may live.

Psalm 119:1137-144 NLT
Living Out the Journey (personal application)

How about you? How would you describe God and His Word (laws, commands, instructions, regulations)? Do you see them as fallible, fair, righteous, perfect, and trustworthy? Or do you doubt and question them? Are they so precious to you that you are offended or riled up when others disregard them? Do you strive to understand them, remember them, and live them out – or are they just in one ear and out the other until the next time? Have you experienced God’s peace and the joy that comes from His commands, even when life is pressing in on you? – I’m not trying to weigh you down with questions, but rather just simply hoping to share with you the encouragement that God pressed on me as I read the words of the Psalmist. – Know who God is, find delight in His Word, and if you don’t know or see God as the Psalmist described Him – search the Word – ask God for the understanding of who He is and the truths of His Word. Seek Him with all of your heart, and I promise you – He will be found –

The More We Know

You will find me when you seek me … While these prophecies and promises are specifically related to the people of Judah and Israel, the principle that God will draw near to those who draw near to Him is a universal truth (James 4:8a). But we have to draw near to God on His own terms—with clean hands and purified hearts (James 4:8b) that only God can provide by grace through faith in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8–9). While Jeremiah’s letter recorded the words of God for the exiled people of Judah, readers today can benefit from recognizing that the same God who said, “You will find me when you seek me with all your heart,” has also told us that we can draw near to Him and He will draw near to us (James 4:8) and that He will never leave or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).

gotquestions.org/Jer 29:13

Seek and you will find… The heart of Jesus’ point is that God is listening, paying attention to His people, and ready to give them good gifts. What a remarkable truth! The God of all creation cares so deeply about His children that He hears them when they pray. Even better: He answers. This also speaks to those with doubts and questions about faith. Those who lack faith, but pursue truth, will find it in Christ (Mark 9:24; John 14:6).

Bibleref.com/Matthew 7:7
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