Great Peace

Great peace have those who love Your law, And nothing causes them to stumble. Psalm 119:165 NKJV.

We’re living in a very different world now.  The COVID-19 virus has changed the landscape in every country.  We can become overawed by all the information and news reports coming in and daily updates.

“On Saturday morning Johns Hopkins University was showing nearly 223.6 million confirmed Covid cases worldwide, with more than 4.6 million deaths attributed to the disease, while about 5.62 billion vaccine doses have been administered.

“The US has more than 40.7 million cases and 656,139 deaths, India has nearly 33.2 million cases and 442,009 deaths, and Brazil has nearly 21 million cases and 585,174 deaths”.  (From www.sunlive.co.nz/news, 11/9/21).

There’s something like “60,000 deaths weekly”.  (From www.coronavirus.jhu.edu).

All of these can feed the fear in us.  It’s good to be informed.  But a healthy concern can quickly grow to being consumed by it all.  The fear many feel at the current situation around the world, is very real.  Even Christians can be crippled by the fear of what might/could/may/possibly happen.

It’s better to be informed but not consumed by the media reports, and better to be informed by God’s Word and influenced by truth rather than anything else.

But God’s Word comes and lifts us, it is the antidote to fear.

Great peace have those who love Your law, And nothing causes them to stumble. Psalm 119:165 NKJV.

What a great few words from Psalm 119.  Notice (which is the main theme of the whole Psalm) the love the Psalmist has for God’s Word.

1. But my heart stands in awe of Your word. V161.
2. I rejoice at Your word. V162.
3. But I love Your law. V163.
4. Great peace have those who love Your law. V165.
5. I do Your commandments. V166.
6. My soul keeps Your testimonies. V167.
7. And I love them exceedingly. V167.
8. I keep Your precepts and Your testimonies. V168.

And that’s just in this section of eight verses.

What can our text for today teach us.  A great deal.  Let’s have a look.

Love Your law.

To love Your law, is the key.  But what does that mean?  How do we love God’s Word?

• We think about it a lot, in fact it is the focus of our thinking.
• We spend time in it, because we want to, and it’s never enough.
• We have an insatiable hunger for God Word.
• We read, meditate and study God’s Word.
• We have a regular routine that has in pride of place input from the Word of God.
• We have an appetite for learning God’s Word.
• We have a growing knowledge of God’s Word.
• We’re humbled by God’s Word.
• We hang on, and live by, the promises of God’s Word.
• We love to talk about God’s Word with others.
• We’re amazed at the wonder, the glory and the truth of God’s Word.

That’s just a list I came up with.  What would your list look like?

I believe it.  I love God’s Word.  His promise is that I will not stumble.  But that’s not all.

This verse of God’s Word presents us with two promises, two outcomes of loving God’s Word:

Great peace.

Not just peace but great peace.  Surely the presence of Jesus in our lives is great.  Not just ordinary, but great, large, all encompassing, superior.  He is the Prince of Peace, so when He is in our lives the peace can only be great.

Peace is not the absence of strife and turmoil, but the presence of Him who is the Prince of Peace – Jesus.

When does this peace come?  When we love God’s Word, and spend time in it.  Again, Jesus is the living Word, so when we’re reading or listening to or studying the Bible, we are reading, listening to and learning not just about Jesus but from Jesus Himself.

It’s a personal class, a One-on-one conversation, a just-He-and-us scenario, a private audience with the King, it’s an appointment with the Author.  Wow!  No wonder there’s great peace.

We live in uncertain times.  But there is Someone who is certain, that’s Jesus.  Press in to Him in these complex COVID days.  In Him we have everything.  When we get God, we get everything.  A hunger for God brings us into His presence.

There may be turmoil all around us.  There may be some mountains in front of us.  But inside we can be at peace.  Because we are with Him; remember, He’s the Prince of Peace; and He is in us.

Your first need is to be with Him.  A relationship with Jesus is the greatest thing.

Nothing causes us to stumble.

Stumble – bumble, careen, fall, fall down, falter, flounder, hesitate, limp, lumbar, lurch, shuffle, swing, waver, wabble, blunder, err, muddle, pitch, reel, stammer, tilt, topple, totter, trip, wallow, lose balance.  (www.thesaurus.com).

Here’s another list:

• We won’t lose balance on the journey of life.
• We won’t trip over some unseen, unexpected obstacle.
• We won’t be surprised by anything.
• We won’t be unprepared for the pathway.
• We will not bumble, careen, fall, fall down, falter, flounder, hesitate, limp, lumbar, lurch, shuffle, swing, waver, wabble, or blunder.
• We will not err, muddle, pitch, reel, stammer, tilt, topple, totter, trip, wallow, or lose balance.
• We will have sure footing and steady placements of our feet.
• The direction of our life will be sure, steady, consistent.
• We will not be changing direction or course but will hold our course.

What great promises!

Great peace have those who love Your law, And nothing causes them to stumble. Psalm 119:165 NKJV.

So, be informed, and concerned (which should drive us to prayer), but don’t be consumed by the news and media reports of the virus situation.  Make sure your input diet is primarily God’s Word.  He is able to open to you His will, calm your thinking with His great peace, and fill you with hope so that you become a blessing to those around you.

Finally, why not spend some time reading, meditation on, thinking about, and pondering the following Scriptures:

• “You will keep in perfect and constant peace the one whose mind is steadfast [that is, committed and focused on You—in both inclination and character], Because he trusts and takes refuge in You [with hope and confident expectation]. Isaiah 26:3 Amplified Bible.
• Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. John 14:27
• These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

However, some good news!  You are able to order and pay for a copy of the book, just go to www.goodwords.nz/resources.  We will hold your copy here until such time as we can get it to you. 

We are able to pack and post to anywhere!  Contact us for international shipping rates.

We would appreciate prayer for the launch of this book, that the Lord will get it into the hands of the right people at the right time and that they will know God the Holy Spirit and grow in their relationship with Him.  Thank you.

Please contact me if you have any questions.