5 Minute Read

Prepare Your Heart

To the best of your ability, get rid of all distractions. Take a few minutes to breathe deeply and quiet yourself in the Lord’s presence. Then, ask the Lord to speak to you in this time. Let Him know that you will listen and make whatever adjustments He will reveal to you.

Read God’s Word

Psalm 119:65-119
1 Corinthians 12:12-31

A Verse for Today

Slowly and reflectively read the following verse(s) and listen to what God will say to you through His written Word. Consider writing down any insights He reveals to you.

Psalm 119:89 (CSB): “LORD, your word is forever; it is firmly fixed in heaven.”

Reflecting on God’s Word

When I was young, I remember shaking my head with a bit of contempt when older folks lamented “all of the changes that were taking place around them.” They reminisced about the grocery stores they frequented as kids, which are now parking lots. Fields where crops once grew are now busy neighborhoods. The school building they attended as children is no longer there, and some of their friends have passed away. On and on they went about all of the changes that had taken place since they were a child.

As I am now well entrenched in my 50s, I don’t shake my head in contempt anymore. I am joining their ranks. I am now realizing that older folks know that change must happen. Life and society must keep moving along. Even their churches must make changes in order to grow and remain relevant to a changing culture (e.g. church Safety Teams were unheard of a few generations ago).

I am so glad that there are a few things that I can hold onto that will not change. One is my God and the other is His Word. That’s what we observe in the verse I chose for today.

Psalm 119:89 (CSB): “LORD, your word is forever; it is firmly fixed in heaven.”

The Bible is God’s Word. It is His Word to us, told in a wide variety of genres (stories, poetry, prophetic literature, narrative, apocalyptic, letters, and more). In each of those genres, we are given truth that will stand the test of time. That truth is forever, and it is just as “fixed” and out of reach of mankind’s tampering as the stars in space.

That’s why Jesus could state without any equivocation that not even the smallest, most seemingly insignificant portion of Scripture will pass off the scene before every single thing that it proclaims is accomplished.

Matthew 5:18 (CSB): “For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or one stroke of a letter will pass away from the law until all things are accomplished.”

How can this be so? After all, wasn’t the Bible written by about 40 men over a period of about 1,400 years? How is it possible that it will remain forever?

Yes, around 40 men wrote the Bible. But God’s Holy Spirit was writing it alongside them. Those men used their own words, syntax, ideas, and did their own research. But in a way that is only fully understood by the Lord, the Holy Spirit was also writing every single one of their words through them.

2 Peter 1:20-21 (CSB): “Above all, you know this: No prophecy of Scripture comes from the prophet’s own interpretation, because no prophecy ever came by the will of man; instead, men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

Clearly, the Bible claims that the Holy Spirit worked with each of the men who wrote the Bible. While they wrote and used their own faculties, the Holy Spirit was (in some way that we don’t fully understand) writing His Word through them.

But the Bible goes even further. It calls the Bible God’s very breath. When you speak, you are breathing, and your breath crosses your vocal chords. Your tongue and lips move to form words. But without the breath, none of it would matter. Your vocal chords, tongue, and lips could do essentially nothing to communicate if you didn’t have breath. Listen to this next verse.

2 Timothy 3:16 (CSB): “All Scripture is inspired by God …”

The word for “inspired” is the Greek word “theopneustos.” That word literally means “God-breathed.” So, 2 Timothy 3:16 literally means that the Bible is God’s very breath. Just as when God spoke (breathed words) and the universe came into existence (Genesis 1-2), God also spoke (through about 40 men) and His written Word came into existence.

That’s why we can find such confidence in the unchanging Word that remains the standard of truth forever. It’s because it is God’s very words. Our Bible isn’t merely the work of men; it is the very breathed words of our God. Therefore, it is worth our effort to study and understand it in order to apply it to our lives.

Spend Time in Prayer

  • Ask God to help you cultivate a hunger for God’s Word that will cause you to study it, believe it, and conform to it.

Going Deeper

If you want to dig a little deeper into the meaning of Psalm 119:89, consider reading the following GotQuestions article:

“What does it mean that God’s Word is settled in heaven (Psalm 119:89)?”

Sharing

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Matt Ellis is the pastor of White Hall Baptist Church in Richmond, Kentucky (whitehallbaptistchurch.org)