The Truth is the Light

 

Rev. Dr. Charles R. Watkins, Jr., Retired, Itinerant Elder, Columnist

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

Psalm 19:14 NRSV

In our text, David recognizes Jesus as his rock and salvation.  David recognized that Jesus was the provider of his security.   David recognized that Jesus was the provider of his salvation.  Our text challenges us to ponder and praise all the glorious works of God.  Our text reminds us that we are to seek what God desires.

We who know that God is real–

We who have learned by faith that God loves us–

We who believe by faith know that God’s mercy is everlasting–

We understand, Beloved, that God does so much for us.

God is the strength that keeps us.

God is the solid, unmovable rock upon which we stand, recognizing through the trial of our faith that all other ground is sinking sand.

God is the solid foundation, the rock and promise that undergirds our lives.

The word of God reveals to us that God is the one who saved us from sin and death.

The psalmist is saying, let the very core of me.

Let all that is within me.  David is pleading with God, let my thoughts, let my emotions.

David is asking God to let my intellect, let all these things be acceptable in your sight Lord.

David wanted his words and the thoughts of his heart to be acceptable to the Lord.

During David’s time, when a worshipper brought an animal to the sanctuary to be sacrificed to the Lord, a priest would examine it to see if it was free of blemishes.

If a priest found a blemish, neither the animal nor the worshipper was accepted.

Considering that analogy as it relates to Psalm 19:14. Our words should edify those who hear them.

The Bible encourages us to use speech that is gracious’ seasoned with salt.

The Bible also directs us to speak the truth in love and address one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.

Jesus taught that the heart is the source of our words, Jesus declared.

For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks, so we can conclude then that it is important to fill our hearts with scripture.

In our text, David addresses the Lord as his Rock and his redeemer.

As mentioned earlier David recognized that the Lord was the provider of his security and his salvation.

By shedding his blood on the cross, Jesus is our Redeemer.

It is Jesus, our living Lord, who keeps us safe. As our living Lord Jesus, we desire that Jesus keep us safe. It is our desire that since our words and our thinking are related, both should be pleasing to the Lord.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, may we, like David in humility of heart, sanctify the words of our mouth, the meditation of our heart, the thoughts of our minds, and our inner beings so that all we say and do will be pleasing and acceptable in the sight and our precious Lord and Savior.

Let us be filled with the knowledge of God’s will so we can do what pleases God.

Our mind must be filled with that which is pleasing to God so that our mouth and other body parts destined for action can also do what is pleasing to God.

In Christ’s name, we pray.  Amen

Rev. Dr. Charles R. Watkins, Jr., Retired, Itinerant Elder, Summerville, South Carolina