Behold the Wonder of the Word

Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth (Introduction): Our hearts’ cry for all the earth to be filled with the glory of the Lord. It's what we live for. It's what we long for. What a wonder it is that You, the God of the universe, would have chosen to speak to us, to make Yourself known. Thank You for the wonder of Your Word. 

Can you just say that? “Thank You for the wonder of Your Word?” 

Lord, we worship You. And we're here to listen, to receive the food of Your holy Word. 

So we want to pray that prayer from Psalm 85. “I will listen to what God will say.” 

Can you say that? “I will listen to what God will say.”

Would you pray for the woman who's standing on your right, “Lord, give her ears to hear what You have to say”? Would you just in your heart pray for that person sitting next to you? And would you pray for the person sitting on your other side? “Lord, please speak to this person. May they hear Your voice through Your Word in these days.” Then would you open your own heart to the Lord and say, “Lord, give me ears to hear. Give me a heart to say ‘yes.’ I will listen to what God the Lord will say.”

Lord, we believe that as You speak to us, as we listen, as we say, “Yes, Lord,” that You will work in our hearts, and we will leave this place transformed by the power and the beauty of Christ, whose Word we have read. We will go and we will be Your instruments to help spread the glory and the fame of Your great name until all the earth has heard. We pray, we worship, we give You thanks in Jesus' name, amen. 

Thank you so much. Please feel free to be seated. 

Wow! We're here. You made it!

How many of you had something . . . you’ve got some crazy story about today or yesterday or your week? You weren't sure you were gonna make it. You got through the traffic. You got through the construction around the convention center. 

I walked in the resource center when we got here a couple days ago, and I saw an item. I hope they'll forgive me for doing this, but that every woman in this place needs one of these—this week and every week. It's a mug and it says . . . (I know you don't need any more mugs, but you need something that says this in your house.) It says. “Breathe grace in; breathe grace out.” You're gonna need that this weekend. You’ve already needed it. Breathe grace in; breathe grace out. 

Now, the bad news is there are only seventy of these in the resource center. So if we run out of them, you can order them from the online store, or you can write your own Post-it note or something to remember to breathe grace in and breathe grace out, including this weekend. 

There are gonna be things that don't go right: some text you get, somebody that annoys you, or your roommate snores, or the construction gets too loud. And you breathe grace in, and breathe grace out. Okay, we're gonna do that. 

Here's something else I want you to do. We have enough of these for everyone. In your tote bag, there is a white hanky that says, “Yes, Lord. True Woman.” I want you to pull that out of your tote. I want to see them. The white flag is a universal sign of what? Surrender. 

We have a True Woman tradition. If you've not been here . . . How many of you have never been to a true woman conference before? Lots and lots. Okay, welcome. I'm going to explain the white flag thing here. Here's what it is. 

Any time throughout the course of this weekend that the Lord is speaking to your heart through His Word—that's how He speaks, by His Holy Spirit—and He pinpoints something in your own heart, and you want to agree with what He's saying, you want to respond to what He's saying. We want to always be saying in our hearts, “Yes, Lord!” Every time we open this Book, it's a mirror, and it shows us our hearts. We want to be saying always, “Yes, Lord! Yes, Lord! Yes, Lord!” We want to be living lives as women of surrender. 

So anytime during this weekend that the Lord is speaking to you, maybe during the music, it may be during the announcements, it may be during a message—I hope that's going to be happening during the messages. You can say, “Yes, Lord!” Quietly in your own heart. And that's great. I hope you will. You may want to slip out to that prayer room and kneel there and maybe ask someone to pray for you as you express your desire to say, “Yes, Lord!” But you may want at moments to wave this sign of surrender and make it just a little more obvious that you are saying, “Yes, Lord!” 

You think, Well, somebody will think I'm crazy. That's okay. Now, maybe you think that's a little cheesy. And if you do, you can just put yours neatly back in your tote bag and that's fine. But if maybe you'd like to have it available for the right moment or moments, just put it there in your Bible to use at any time. 

And you know what? You say, “People, what will they think?” What they'll think is that God is speaking and you're listening and saying, “Yes, Lord! to Him. Now if you're watching us by livestream, if you don't have one of these, you just find something that you can use. 

The first time we ever did this in a conference, it was very spontaneous. We didn't have these fancy embroidered hankies. And so I just said, “Find something white to wave.” And women were pulling out pieces of paper, taking off a white sock, waving it in the air. (laughter)It doesn't have to be this fancy one. 

I remember hearing a woman say after that conference that she went home and she would get to her quiet time chair in the morning and she would open her Word, and she would just have these moments where she knew she needed to respond, and she would wave that hankie. Make it a Kleenex, make it a whatever, and just say, Yes, Lord. That is what we want to always be the posture of our hearts—yes, Lord! 

So, oh Lord, You have exalted above all things Your name and Your Word. That's what Scripture tells us in Psalm 138. So Lord, would you help me, help us to do that tonight, to exalt Your great name, and to exalt Your holy, wondrous Word? We pray in Jesus' name, amen.

Beginning of Conference Message: Some time ago I was staying in a friend's condo, and she had a lot of books in the condo. I was looking around at them, and I saw a book that was edited by an English lit prof, a literature teacher. It was called 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die. That book included classics like Arabian Nights, War and Peace, Little Women, and many books you've probably never heard of. But I was astonished to see that in that list of a thousand and one books that you must read before you die that there was no mention of this book [the Bible]. How is that possible? 

Now, the Bible did make another list. It was an essay written in a popular magazine and the essay was called “21 Books That You Don't Have to Read.” It said that many of the classic books that we've been told are must reading are really overrated, and they're not worth reading. That list included books like: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain and The Lord of the Rings by Tolkien. But that list of twenty-one books you don't have to read also included this Book, the Bible. It said, “there are some good parts.” That's nice. “But overall, it certainly is not the finest thing that man has ever produced. It is repetitive, self-contradictory, foolish, and at times ill-intentioned.” 

Now, ladies, as Christians, we are people of the Book, this Book. And this weekend, we're asking God to give us a fresh sense of the wonder and the sweetness and the beauty of His Word. And I can't think of a better passage to help us do that than Psalm 119. It's right in the middle of your Bible. This is the longest chapter in the Bible. I'd love to just read the whole thing. I won't do that tonight. It has 176 verses. 

I have a friend who when he was growing up said that his mother used to read the five children in that family, five chapters of the Bible every night. Their dad traveled a lot, was out of town, and the mom would read five chapters of the Bible to those kids every night. And he said, “When Psalm 119 came, I thought eternity had come.” (laughter)

I read about a seventeenth century minister who was condemned to death by hanging. And the custom in that day was that condemned men were allowed to select a psalm to sing. This man chose Psalm 119 to be sung around his execution. And before the psalm ended, a messenger arrived bringing a pardon, the news that his life had been spared. It turned out the man knew that the pardon was coming. He had intentionally chosen Psalm 119 as a stall tactic, and saved his life. 

Let's look at a little overview of Psalm 119. Perhaps you are new to the Christian faith or you've never taken time to study this psalm. Let me just give you just a little background.

It's what we call an acrostic poem. There are twenty-two stanzas, and you'll see these marked in your Bible. Each one has eight verses. In the first stanza, each verse, each of those eight verses begins with the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet. In the second stanza, each verse of that stanza, each of those eight verses begins with the second letter of the Hebrew alphabet. And so on through all twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet. It's a literary masterpiece. 

One commentator said that “Psalm 119 is an alphabet of prayers and reflections on God's Word.” Another commentator said that “Psalm 119 is the Mount Everest of the Psalter of the Psalms.” 

Well, I can tell you this about Psalm 119. There is no way we are going to reach the summit of this Mount Everest, this side of heaven. But tonight we're going to pull over into just a few scenic overlooks. You know, when you're driving up a mountain and they say scenic overview or overlook, and you can pull aside and you can see the beautiful scenery. I want to give you just a glimpse of some of the amazing views in Psalm 119. It’s what one writer has called “the mind-blowing beauty, the sin-killing power, and the breathtaking expanse of God's Word” is the theme of this psalm. 

Now, I've been listening to and reading Psalm 119 on repeat for a long time. Robert and I had the chance to do this yesterday and this morning in our hotel room, just to listen to it being read aloud. And each time it's freshly sparking my heart and my love and affection for God's Word. 

One of the things you'll see as you read this psalm is that the psalmist’s life . . . And by the way, we're not told who the author was of this psalm. Some think it may have been David, some think Daniel, some think Ezra. Those are all good possibilities. We don't know, but the psalmist, his life is tethered to and governed by God's Word 24/7. In fact, look just a moment at verses 147 and 148. You have to flip over a few pages. This will give you an example. 

I rise before dawn and cry out for help; 
I put my hope in your word. 

So this psalm is for early risers. God's Word is for early risers. And then verse 148: 

I am awake through each watch of the night. 

So that's for the night owls and the insomniacs among us. I put Robert's initial next to 147 because he's the one rising before dawn. And I put my initial next to 148 because it's during the night watches that I'm usually awake thinking about these things. It's for all hours of the day and of the night. 

Apart from the first three verses, the entire psalm is a prayer. The psalmist talks to God about His Word. And there are eight synonyms you'll find used for the Scripture throughout this psalm. They're repeated numerous times in the Christian Standard Bible, which I'm using tonight. You'll see God's Word referred to as: the instruction of the Lord, the decrees of the Lord, the ways of the Lord, the precepts of the Lord, the statutes of the Lord, His commandments, His judgments, and His promise. And each of those words gives us a slightly different window into the multifaceted splendor of God's Word.

Most of the verses in Psalm 119 fall into at least one of four categories. I'm going to give you these just so you can be looking for it as you read. I know you're going to want to be reading Psalm 119 a lot in the days ahead. 

First, you'll see affirmations about God's Word, observations, things that are true about God's Word. So he says, and I'm not going to give you all the reference numbers because I want you to hear with your heart. He says: 

LORD, your word is forever;
it is firmly fixed in heaven.” (v. 89) 

All your commands are true. (v. 151) 

All your commands are righteous. (v. 172)

Your decrees are wondrous. (v. 129) 

These are affirmations about God's Word. And then you see verses that are resolutions regarding God's Word. For example: 

I will meditate on your precepts 
and think about your ways. (v. 15)

I will keep your statutes. (v. 8) 

I will obey the decree you have spoken. (v. 88) 

I am resolved to study, to learn, to know, to obey God's word. And then you have petitions regarding God's Word. Verses like: 

Teach me your statutes. (v. 12) 

Help me understand your instructions. (v. 34) 

Petitions. And then you have verses that show great affection about God's Word. Verses like these: 

Your decrees are my delight. (v. 24) 

That word “delight” is used eight times in this psalm. 

How I love your instruction [affection]! 
It is my meditation all day long. (v. 97) 

How sweet your word is to my taste—
sweeter than honey in my mouth. (v. 103)

It's just an affection. This love for God's Word is what I want to focus on tonight. 

Now, Robert and I do something that I'm sure you do with your mate all the time, and that is that we look for good verbs. (laughter)

I'm an author; Robert's an author, and so we think a lot about verbs. Sometimes at night we're talking about good verbs we found that day. Listen, there are some amazing verbs and lots of them in Psalm 119. You want to look for them. Let me just give you several: 

• Study. 
• Trust in. 
• Rely on. 
• Put your faith in. 
• Put my hope in God's Word. 
• Follow His Word. 
• Learn it. 
• Think about it. 
• Walk in it. 
• Speak of it. 
• Proclaim it. 
• Sing about it. 
• Meditate on it. 
• Contemplate it. 
• Understand it. 
• Cling to it. 
• Pursue it. 
• Obey it. 

That's a lot of good verbs, precious. We got our quota for today out of Psalm 119. 

I take pleasure in your commands” (see v. 35).

That's where I want to focus. 

I rejoice over your promise 
like one who finds vast treasure. (v. 162) 

Your word is completely pure 
and your servant loves it. (v. 140) 

Love it. Rejoice in it. Take pleasure in it. Maybe you're thinking, Look, surely anybody who signs up for a conference like this already loves God's Word and rejoices in it and is grateful for it, delights in it. But you know what I've discovered? Sometimes familiarity with God's Word and with the truths of God's Word can make the richest, sweetest treasure seem commonplace, ordinary. We know that. We've done that—done that; been there.

I came to know Jesus as a young girl. I’m so thankful for that. I've been in church all my life, attended Christian school, Bible college, been teaching God's Word for more than fifty years now. What an incredible privilege. And I'll tell you that there have been times when I'm listening to, studying, reading God's Word, when it's been a delight to me. And it just feels full of life. I'm loving it. And then I'll tell you there are other times when it seems more like drudgery, more like a duty, dry and lifeless. But I've learned that the problem in those times is not with the Word. The problem is with my heart. That makes all the difference. 

In Psalm 119, we see a man whose relationship with God and with His Word pulsates with life, with passion, with warmth, with joy. He makes you feel that this is the one book you must read before you die—not just once, but over and over and over again. The psalmist believed that knowing and obeying God's Word wasn't just the right thing to do, it wasn't just a task to check off his to-do list, but it was a source of great blessing and joy. 

If you've got Psalm 119 there, just look at the first three verses. This psalm opens with a double blessing. Psalm 119, the first couple of verses there. “How happy” your translation may say “blessed.” 

How happy are those whose way is blameless,
who walk according to the LORD's instruction! 
Happy [or blessed] are those who keep his decrees 
and seek him with all their heart.” (vv. 1–2)

Now. there are those who, if they wouldn't say it, they might think that living this way, living your life according to God's law, His instruction, His decrees, that it's a recipe for boredom at best, maybe even a recipe for being miserable. But that's not what you see as you read Psalm 119. You see that this is a recipe, a prescription for happiness, for blessings. You see, the psalmist believed that the Word of God was of greater value than any kind of material gain. He said: 

Instruction from your lips is better for me 
than thousands of gold and silver pieces. (v. 72)

It's one thing to know that verse. It's another thing to really believe that having God's Word is more precious, makes you richer than if you had thousands of . . . Listen, I don't know what the going price is for gold right now, but thousands, who wouldn't want that? He said, “This is more precious.” 

I love your commands,
more than gold, even the purest gold. (v. 1270 

The psalmist can scarcely contain his joy as he rehearses the many blessings and benefits to be found in God's Word. Let me give you just a sampling. He says, 

Your decrees are my counselors. (v. 27) 

You need a counselor? You've got one right here. He says, 

Your word is a lamp to my feet. 
It's a light on my path. (v. 105)

You wanna know which way to go? You wanna have lights so that you don't trip up and fall? You've got it right here. He says, 

You have given me hope through [your word]. (v. 49) 

He says:

Abundant peace belongs to those
who love your instruction. (v. 165) 

I've treasured your word in my heart
that I may not sin against you. (v. 11) 

The greatest antidote for sin is an affection for Jesus and His Word. 

 

He tells us about how the Word of God strengthens and sustains and comforts us in the hardest places of life. And some of you in this room are in that hardest place of your life right now. You need God's Word. 

He says in Psalm 119, “I'm weary from grief” (v. 28). Anybody here who's weary from grief? I have friends in this room who buried a loved one this past week. 

I'm weary from grief;
strengthen me through your word. (v. 28 

Elsewhere he says: 

This is my comfort in my affliction: 
your promise has given me life. (v. 50)

I talk so often or text or communicate with women who are hurting, they are grieving, they are weak, they are weary, they are struggling. I had a lengthy conversation within the past week or so with a precious friend who is watching the livestream tonight from her home in Europe, and it's very late there right now, 

She is going through the hardest trial of her life in her family, extremely painful and difficult, no end in sight, no sense of where this might go. She needs hope; she needs comfort. What I love as we have talked through her tears and her heart breaking, is this is a woman who for years has been anchoring her heart in the Word of God. Now His promises are bringing her hope and life even when she does not know, when her eyes are filled with tears, her heart is filled with faith that God sees, God knows, God is accomplishing His purposes. I don't know how this is going to end. I don't know where it's going to go, but I trust His promises to give me what I need. 

The writer of Psalm 119 believed that the Word of God was more than sufficient for every need, every season, every situation of life. That's why he prays, “I long for your commands” (v. 131). Could you say that? I long for Your commands? Do we long for God's Word? Do we delight in it? Do we love it? And if not, why don't we? 

I read a piece by a Christian leader in Britain who said: 

More than 200 million people in the world have no access to spiritual food with no Scriptures available, not even a part of the Scripture available in their own language. Yet we in the West, despite owning more Bibles per household than we will ever use, are slowly starving to death because we have lost our appetite for Scripture.

Years ago I had the opportunity to meet a woman named Margaret Nikol. She's now in heaven. She's a concert violinist, and I got to hear her story. Margaret remembered vividly what it was like not to have access to a Bible. You see, she grew up in Bulgaria under the repressive regime of Communism in that country. And when she was a little girl, the Communists confiscated virtually all the Bibles in the country. 

Her father and her brother were both pastors, and neither one of them owned a Bible. 

However, there was an elderly woman in Margaret's town who managed to get one Bible, and she held carefully to it. It became a treasure that was shared by all the believers in that town, literally, because they carefully tore out each page and distributed them one by one. Margaret felt blessed to receive the page that contained Genesis 16 and 17. Do you have any idea what is in Genesis 16 or 17? But Margaret knew. She cherished that page. She studied it carefully, and they would read and share each other's pages. 

Well, when Margaret was in her mid-thirties, she was exiled to the United States. And shortly after she arrived in America, some new friends asked her, “What do you want for Christmas?” And Margaret didn't have to think very long about that. More than anything else, she wanted a Bible. 

She described the moment when her friends took her to a Christian bookstore. Remember when they had those? It was the first time she had ever seen a complete Bible. She said, “There were red ones and black ones and green ones and blue ones and brown ones—every size, every shape—Bibles everywhere.”

That thirty-seven year-old woman was overwhelmed by the sight. She stood in the aisle of that bookstore, and she said, “I wept and wept and wept for joy.”

Several years ago, an American woman who was living in another country began interacting with one of the Revive Our Hearts’ bloggers. And through the course of several weeks, God opened this woman's heart, gave her the gift of repentance and faith. She trusted God and was beautifully converted. Several weeks later, she sent an email to the blogger that she'd been corresponding with. She wrote:

I've just been reading the Bible online and printing out certain sections, but I'd really like to have a whole copy that I can actually hold in my hands. I went online to find one to purchase, and found that the selection and variety of Bibles is more overwhelming than standing in the cereal aisle of a U.S. grocery store—so many choices.

Well, our blogger immediately sent her a Bible, and this woman, a brand-new believer, was ecstatic. She wrote back: 

What a thrill it is to have a Bible. I stayed up way too late last night reading mine. It's a whole different thing when you get to hold a whole copy of it in your hands and read continuously without internet lapses, slow connections, et cetera. Thank you so much.

Now, fast forward eight months later from the time when she received her first Bible. She was asked by a group of non-believers to lead a Bible study so they could learn more about this woman's new faith. She wrote and asked us to pray for her. She said:

I'm not a public speaker. I am so not equipped for something like this. I've only read the Bible through twice, and I've never even been to a church that believes the Bible.

Here's a baby Christian who has already read the Bible through twice, the first part of that online. Eventually, this woman led her children to Christ and has led many other people to Jesus as her husband has been transferred from one country to another over the last several years. 

Young women—you decide if you're young—I wanna tell you something tonight. Teenagers, women in their twenties and thirties, I've been reading the Bible ever since I could read, which is now more than sixty-some years. I haven't always read it as faithfully as frequently or as fervently as I wish, but I could not have imagined years ago as I was reading again and again through the Scripture what incredible riches and joy and blessing it would bring to my life, many of which I'm experiencing now more than ever in this season. So let me say, don't wait till you're an old lady like me. Start now to live in the Word of God. 

And whatever your age, I want you to love God's Word. I want you to delight in it. Now, yes, it is inspired, it is inerrant, it is infallible, it is true, it is authoritative, but it is also beautiful and desirable and satisfying and sweet and precious. 

Yes, we ought to know it, we ought to study it, we ought to obey it, we ought to share it with others, but I want you also to love it. I want you to long for it. I want you to be eager to spend time with the Lord in His Book, and I want the hours that you spend in this book and the hours you spend with Christ to be the most deeply satisfying thing in your life. 

• God's Word will light your way. 
• It will help you make right choices. 
• It will heal your wounds. 
• It will settle your heart. 
• It will warn you of danger. 
• It will cleanse you from sin. 
• It will lead you. 
• It will make you wise. 
• It is bread for your hunger. 
• It is water for your thirst. 
• It will counsel you. 
• It will give you life. 

And why? Because it will lead you to Jesus. He is satisfying. He is sufficient. He is supreme. And you will come to know Him in this Book by the power of the Holy Spirit. 

So I want you to enjoy God's Word more than you enjoy good food, more than you enjoy good coffee, more than you enjoy your social media feeds or your Instagram reels, more than you enjoy watching a good movie or getting a big raise or hanging out with your friends. And I want you to enjoy it more than any sin that has a grip in your life. 

So how do you cultivate hunger for the Word? By eating it. That's what the prophet Jeremiah said, 

Your words were found and I ate them. Your words became a delight to me and the joy of my heart. (Jer. 15:16) 

Now in the physical realm, the more you eat, the less hungry you are, right? But when it comes to God's Word, the more you eat, the more hungry you are, the more you want, the more you long for it.

So how do you find a light in God's Word? Get your nose in this Book. I beg you, I implore you, I plead with you, read it. Read it when you feel like reading it. Read it when you don't feel like reading it. Read it until you do feel like reading it. Soak in it. Marinate in it. Meditate on it. Turn to it first, not last. 

Turn to it more than you turn to your phone. And I'll just tell you, for me, my phone has been the biggest single deterrent and distraction from delighting in God's Word. Nobody can change that for us. Yeah, I see a white flag there. We need some more. 

I received a text from one of our international team members just a couple of days ago. She said: 

What's burning on my heart for this conference is that we fall in love over and over again with God's Word, and that our hearts be healed and revived through the process.

Listen, as you come to love God's Word, to delight in it, it's not only going to impact you, it's going to impact others around you as the life of Christ begins to grow and develop and as you're sanctified as you reflect. You become what we behold, right? You see that people who are married a long time start to look like each other? You're saying, “I hope not.” We become what we behold. 

 

Beholding Christ in here, we're transformed. We're transfigured from the inside out into His likeness. You think that's not going to impact your husband, your roommate, your kids, your friends, your classmates, your work colleagues? It will impact them, and not only around you now, but for generations to come. 

I read a wonderful article by Trevon Wax recently. He said: 

Flash forward forty years from now. Many of us will be in heaven by then. Will our grandkids spot our worn Bible by the recliner? Will they see us captivated by Jesus and His Word? When we're old and gray or after we're gone, will our grandchildren and great-grandchildren say with conviction, ‘Grandma loved God's Word?’ I think that's one of the biggest helps as your burden for your children and your grandchildren and those around you not to walk away from the faith, is when they see that you love God and His Word, that it delights you. This is going to create an appetite and a longing in others. 

I want to make two final observations about this psalm. First, when Jesus was here on earth, we know that He prayed and sang Old Testament psalms. I want you for a moment . . . This gives a whole new light to Psalm 119 for me. Imagine Jesus praying just some selected verses. I'm going to read to you from Psalm 119 and see how they reveal our Savior. 

How I love your instruction! 
It is my meditation all day long.” (v. 97)

I can hear Jesus praying that. 

How sweet your word is to my taste—
sweeter than honey in my mouth. (v. 103) 

I understand more than the elders 
because I obey your precepts. (v. 100) 

Can you see Jesus in the temple at age twelve talking with the elders because he knew and loved God's Word? 

I have kept my feet from every evil path
to follow your Word.” (v. 101) 

Can you see Jesus in the wilderness being tempted by the devil to sin? And that prayer in His heart, “I have kept my feet from every evil path to follow your Word.” I can hear him praying this. 

I rise before dawn and cry out for help; 
I put my hope in your Word. (v. 147) 

We know about Jesus getting up early to pray. And then this one: 

I am awake through each watch of the night
to meditate on your promise. (v. 148) 

Jesus praying through the night. He knew that psalm. And this one: 

My eyes pour out streams of tears 
because people do not follow your instruction. (v. 136)

Do you remember Jesus weeping over Jerusalem? Weeping because God's people refuse to follow His instruction. This one: 

The wicked have set a trap for me, 
but I have not wandered from your precepts. (v. 110) 

Think of the trial of Jesus being betrayed, being persecuted, falsely accused, but I have not wandered from your precepts. And then I can hear Him in my mind's ear praying this: 

[Your decrees] are the joy of my heart. 
I am resolved to obey your statutes 
to the very end. (vv. 111–112) 

You see, Jesus loved and obeyed and delighted in the Word of God that sometimes bores us and sometimes we just flat outright reject. And that, my friend, is why He is qualified to be your Savior and mine. Because He kept this law of the Word of God with all His heart. 

Here's a second observation: as I've been recording the Wonder of the Word series teaching through the Bible, I'm always looking for what we call in that study, “glimpses of grace.” And there are a few parts of the Bible in the Old Testament where it wasn't so easy to find those glimpses of grace, but they are there. And I see a stunning glimpse of grace in the bookends, the beginning and the end of Psalm 119. So if you've got it open there, look at the opening again. 

How happy are those whose way is blameless, 
who walk according to the Lord's instruction! 
Happy are those who keep his decrees 
and seek him with all their heart. 
They do nothing wrong,
they walk in all his ways. (vv. 1–3)

Let me ask you, who but Jesus could possibly fit that description? Only Jesus was totally blameless. Only Jesus walked to every moment of His life according to the law of God. Only Jesus sought the Father with all His heart. It could not be said of me, and it could not be said of you. They do nothing wrong. They walk in his ways. But it is true of Jesus, our happy, blameless Lord. 

That description in verses 1 through 3 is then followed in verse 4 by this, 

You have commanded that your precepts 
be diligently kept. (v. 4) 

That's the standard. But then in the next verse, verse 5, the psalmist laments: 

If only my ways were committed 
to keeping your statutes. (v. 5) 

Lord, I don't. I can't keep your law. Here's the fact, we have all failed to keep God's standard. And in the very last verse of this psalm, turn there, 176. The psalmist acknowledges: 

I wander like a lost sheep; (v. 176)

The prophet Isaiah said in a way that is familiar to most of us, “All we like sheep have gone astray” (Isa. 53:6) It's prone to wander. Lord, I feel it. Like a lost sheep, the psalmist acknowledges that he has wandered at times away from God and His Word. And so he cries out to the good shepherd Psalm 119:176: 

Seek your servant [I've wandered],
for I do not forget your commands.

How does our Savior, our Shepherd restore lost sheep that have wandered away? 

He does it through His Word. Jesus, the living Word of God, came to seek and to save the lost. And on that cross at Calvary, the precious, sinless Lamb of God took our place. He took on Himself the judgment, the wrath of God for our sin so that we might return to the Father. 

That's why now, those who placed their faith in Jesus Christ, yes, we have wandered, but yes, He has died to bring us home. Now we can join in praying with the psalmist. Let me just invite you to bow your head in prayer as I read these words from Psalm 119.

Oh Lord, your statues are the theme of my song.
I will never forget your precepts, for you have given me life through them.
Your word is completely pure and your servant loves it. Amen.

All Scripture is taken from the CSB.