You are my refuge and my shield;
I have put my hope in your word.
Psalm 119:114
What does God’s Word mean to you? Is it an old book with truth for another era? Is it filled with wisdom that doesn’t seem to apply to the modern age? Do you read and even memorize it, but see no real way to live it?
What does it look like to put our hope in His Word?
We can probably safely say it’s impossible to hope in something you don’t know or understand. While there will always be a mystery about God’s Word, the more we immerse ourselves in it, the more we will understand it and walk in it.
It’s interesting that we use the word Word to describe not only the Bible, but even Jesus Himself. John 1:1 describes Him this way:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Words are the basis of communication. We even use word to describe communication: “May I have a word with you?” Or, “They had words.”
When God chose to communicate His great love to us, He sent His only Son Jesus to Earth. Jesus came as the Living Word to convey God’s love.
God sent His written Word to us through messages now captured in scripture. These words from God serve to inspire and teach, convict and rebuke, encourage and comfort. To hope in the Word is to hope in Him. If our desire is to know God better, it is essential we become students of the Word.
There’s nothing like difficult circumstances to drive us to the Word. Read Psalm 119:114 again. The Psalmist declares, “You are my refuge and my shield…” Words like refuge and shield suggest the writer has endured challenging circumstances. Hard things tend to drive a believer to his or her knees … and also to the Word.
The older I get, the more I realize that life comes with hard things; in our journey we are either coming out of a challenge, enduring a challenge, or heading into a challenge. The means to not just endure, but grow – to not just survive, but thrive – is to immerse ourselves in His Word. God Himself will speak to our circumstance.
Life comes with hard things; in our journey we are either coming out of a challenge, enduring a challenge, or heading into a challenge. The means to not just endure, but grow – to not just survive, but thrive – is to immerse ourselves in His… Click To TweetAnd, if it’s the hard thing that drives us to His Word, then we can learn to even thank God for the challenge … because it brought us closer to Him.
Grabbing hold of the Word is like grabbing a life preserver in the storm. Grabbing hold, living through, and carrying on will find us declaring with the Psalmist:
You are my refuge and my shield;
I have put my hope in your word.
Psalm 119:114
I pray His Word is your refuge, your shield, and your source of hope this day and every day.
This month, we have celebrated HOPE,
by reading, writing, and praying Scripture verses on the subject.
Watch for the May installment
of Laura’s monthly Write The Word series,
coming this Tuesday, May 1st.