Protect and Proclaim Your Faith
Psalm 119 is the longest Psalm as well as the longest chapter in the Bible. It has 176 (lines) verses, and was written as a song of praise to God. There is something unique about the style of this Psalm. It is an acrostic poem, meaning that each stanza begins with successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. The 176 verses are divided into 22 stanzas, one for each letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Each verse within a particular stanza begins with the same letter. The writer uses ten key words that are found in each verse except for verse 122, all pointing to the importance of God\u2019s word. Today\u2019s Watchword is verse 43 of this Psalm: Do not take the word of truth utterly out of my mouth.
In the midst of the Psalmist\u2019s song of praise is a prayer for faithfulness in the midst of opposition and persecution. The Psalmist prays for gallantry, fortitude, and honesty. He wants to be courageous in the face of opposition to his faith. He wants to have the kind of strength in adversity which he knows that God alone can supply. He wants to be honest enough, regardless of the consequences, to speak of the goodness, the power and the blessings of God. Thus, the Psalmist declares in verse 46: (Message) Oh, I\u2019ll guard with my life what you\u2019ve revealed to me, guard it now, guard it ever; And I\u2019ll stride freely through wide open spaces as I look for your truth and your wisdom: Then I\u2019ll tell the world what I find, speak out boldly in public, unembarrassed. For the Psalmist, the joy and blessings that He has found in his relationship with God is worth protecting and proclaiming. What about you dear friend? Is your relationship with Jesus Christ worth fighting for? Is it worth protecting and proclaiming?
In a world of many views, voices, and values, we are being reminded that we are a people of hope, a hope that is grounded in God\u2019s words. To speak God\u2019s word is to speak hope to the daily situations we face. In the midst of the many crisis we face: threatening natural disasters, a pandemic that does not seem to be going anywhere any time soon, lack of jobs, lack of finances, loss of loved ones, sickness, mental issues \u2026 and the list goes on, in the midst of these many and varied situations we find hope in God\u2019s promises to us in His word. When those who oppose us say our hope in God is unfounded, we refute their claim by proclaiming God\u2019s gift of salvation to us. This hope then is what gives us the confidence to speak boldly. We can be courageous and unintimidated in the face of opposition for regardless of what others have to say, we know what we know, and God\u2019s word is in our mouth and in our hearts. This text thus calls on us to be steadfast and uncompromising in our resolve to live for Christ especially when faced with adverse situations. It challenges us to put our faith to the forefront, to put our complete trust in the God who we serve. The doctrinal text from 2 Tim 4: 3, 4 warns of a time when people will not put up with sound doctrine but will find themselves teachers who teach their brand of truth. We are living through such times, we are threatened daily with such realities and as Christians our duty is to hold to, protect and proclaim the truth, the gospel of Jesus Christ for it is worth living and fighting for.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Protect and Proclaim Your Faith Psalm 119 is the longest Psalm as well as the longest chapter in the Bible. It has 176 (lines) verses, and was written as a song of praise to God. There is something unique about the style of this\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"template":"","watchword_topic":[11],"class_list":["post-574","watchword","type-watchword","status-publish","hentry","watchword_topic-prayer"],"yoast_head":"\n