February 6 – Worried About Results

“So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.”  - Isaiah 55:11 (NASB)

It seems too easy to be told to not be anxious about anything as we find in Philippians 4:6 but that is NOT a “Don’t worry, Be happy” kind of suggestion.  It is an instruction from God and He promises the support we need to not be anxious.  Do any of us ever worry that our testimony and living out the gospel of Christ Jesus is not worth the effort?  We do not see obvious results after our effort of doing what Jesus sent us to do. “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.”  We may encounter different worries from this apparent lack of results.  Our enemy will most certainly work to convince us of the uselessness of obedience to Jesus.  But from our verse for today we can know that every time God’s word is proclaimed, large or small, it will always accomplish what God intends.  God’s will happens each time we share His word. Don’t worry about the results or effectiveness, if we do not see what we expect, just proclaim His truth at each opportunity and let God manage results.

Next: Worry about weakness.

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August 27 – Lighting Our Way

“Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.”  Psalm 119:105 – (NIV)

This verse reminds us that as we live our lives as believers in the Lord we are on our way toward eternity. It speaks of our lives as if we are walking every day and we need help from God to make our way toward the destination which our God has set before us.  Yes, our activities should bring us closer and closer to God's plans for our eternal destination.  God helps us in more than one way but one very important help is providing a light for our path through His Word.  It is from the Bible that we receive the wisdom and guidance we need to progress in our walk with God.  God leads us through His teaching in the Bible and when we find ourselves in a dark place we do not need to think we are lost because God's Word is a lamp for our feed.  

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September 4 – Accomplished Intentions

“So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.” Isaiah 55:11 (NASB)

We can find in our Bible the purpose God has in providing it.  God has given us His Word in the Bible because He wants it to accomplish something whenever anyone reads it.  Also whenever anyone teaches or preaches its message.  God want His word to produce results in our lives.  For that to happen we need to have the proper attitude when we read it or hear it read.  We need to believe God's Word and we need to obey it.  It is not the cleverness or skill of the preachers or teachers that will change lives.  God accomplishes His purposes when His Word is faithfully proclaimed because He will take care of the result.  Our promise today is a promise about God's Word.  When ever it goes forth by whatever means or media, it will always accomplish what God desires.   It will accomplish its intended purpose just as rain and snow accomplish the purpose of watering the earth.

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July 17 – A Light on the Straight Way

“Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” Psalm 119:105  (NIV)

Over the next six days we are going to focus on verses from Psalm 119, the longest chapter in the Bible with 176 verses. [See the Note below.]  The emphasis of this Psalm is about the Word of God.  We sometimes think of life as a journey that we are all taking through time.  We speak of walking through life and the psalmist draws that picture for us.  None of us know what is ahead of us so it's like walking in the dark where we need a light.  God knows that we need help in going through life and He has given us guidance.  The Bible is like a guide-book that illuminate our way for us if we pay attention to it.  This is why the psalmist pictures God's Word for us as a lamp which God has given to us.  It gives us vision to see the way God has set before us. He promises to make our way straight and He gives us what we need to see that way. 

Notes on Psalm 119 

April 12 – Light To Understanding

“The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.” Psalm 119:130 (NIV)

We come to the longest chapter in the Bible, Psalm 119 today for our verse.  Each verse in this Psalm speaks about God's Word in one way or another.  We are so glad that our God has given us His Word in the Bible.  We're glad that we have the Bible to read because God has not only revealed His will to those who wrote it but he has seen to it that the writings have been preserved and brought down to us.  The psalmist who wrote the words of our verse had experienced what God’s Word had done for him. What he had learned was like light shining in the darkness. It helped him to understand what was going on in the world.  As we hear God's Word taught and preached let's listen very carefully. God wants us to understand what His plans are for the world and for His people, and for our individual lives.  Let's allow His Word to open our eyes to see His Love and concern for us. Our promise is that His Word gives us the light we need to understand.  

March 10 – Rain and Word

“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth And making it bear and sprout, And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.” Isaiah 55:11 (NASB)

As we write these words today we can say that we have had a lot of rain in our area. It is an opportunity, perhaps, to reminds ourselves of a lesson God teaches us about rain through the writings of the prophet Isaiah. God says that rain comes for a purpose, and He uses it to help us grow our food. He likens the purpose and process of rain to the spreading of His Word.  How wonderful to know that God has revealed himself in His Word and we have His Word in our Bible. When God speaks to us through the Bible, let's remember that He does it for a purpose. God wants to make us more like Himself. He has other purposes too when He talks to us through His Word. Let's be sure we're listening and we're obeying so that God can fulfill his purpose in and through us. 

October 31 Trusting His Faithfulness

“Forever, O Lord, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens. Your faithfulness endures to all generations; you have established the earth, and it stands fast.” Psalm 119:89-90 (ESV)

The longest song we have in the Bible is Psalm 119. It is full of praise to God and His Word. These verses have truths for us to keep in mind at all times. We can read God's words in our Bible today because when He has spoken in the past His word has been recorded. He was speaking not only for the people who lived at the time, He was speaking for us too. We believe that God is eternal and our verse underscores that His word is also eternal. It will always be true. This includes the promises which He gave and were recorded in the Bible. He made these promises for people long ago and was was faithful to keep them. Today, He remains faithful to keep each of these promises for us too. We have a wonderful God who we can trust so let's trust his promises today. 

February 19

“The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.” Psalm 119:130 (NIV)

This Psalm is the longest chapter in our bible and it is a song about the importance of God speaking to us. Each verse says something about God’s word. How wonderful that God has given us so much instruction in the Bible about His words. When the psalmist wrote these words as poetry and a song he was not thinking about the Bible as we know it. Much of the Bible had not been written. But much had been written which included instruction from God and the history of His dealing with His people. We can be thankful that the parts that were known by the writer of this psalm, whoever it was, were preserved along with this chapter and the rest of our Bible which included the New Testament. All of God’s word from the beginning to what we have today does what this verse tells us. When things look dark in our personal lives and in our country and in the world, God’s word gives us light and understanding.

February 13

“Remember your word to your servant, for you have given me hope. My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life.” Psalm 119:49-50 (NIV)

There are many promises in the Bible and often our verse on 90 Seconds with God is a promise. Today our verse is a different kind of promise. It is a promise of what promises do for us. Our focus is especially on the last words in the verse. How often have we found that a promise from God “preserves our life?” Another word might be renews our life. As we said, there are many promises in the Bible and they fit many different situations for many different needs. For some of us there may be certain promises that have been especially precious.  The Holy Spirit has reminded us of one or more of them just when we needed them and they made life worth living again, they renewed our life, they preserved our life. Think, my friend, of such a promise today and it will preserve and renew your life in the hours ahead. 

July 19

“The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb.” Psalm 19:9b-10 (NIV)

Do we always have the proper reaction when we read God’s Word, or hear it taught? David wrote about how he felt when he heard God’s word. He said that God’s Word was sweeter to him than honey. If you truly love the Lord, I believe that you agree with David. You have read your Bible and it has been sweeter than honey. And you have heard someone teach God’s Word and your heart has responded because the truths you heard were sweet – sweeter than honey. So we can join with David and say as he did that God’s words are more precious than gold.

February 28

“For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.” Romans 15:4 (NIV)

Have you ever considered what we would do if we didn’t have the Bible? There is encouragement in the Scriptures and I trust you are taking advantage of it. It is the encouragement of God’s Word that keeps us going. It helps us to endure, gives us endurance in the faith. That’s why God has given us the Scriptures. He knew His people needed encouragement so He set messages through the prophets. When Jesus came to earth He had messages that are recorded for us. Let’s use His Word dally.

February 26

“I have considered my ways and have turned my steps to your statues.” Psalm 119:59 (NIV)

Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible. All the way through the emphasis is on the importance of following the teachings God has given us. He has given us so much instruction as to how to live. As we think of what God teaches us we often realize that we are not following it as we should. What shall we do? Do as the psalmist said he did – turn our steps so as to follow more closely what God has told us in His Word. It is our guide to living. Let’s follow it and maintain the attitude of the writer of the verse.

February 2

“When your words came, I ate them. They were my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, O Lord God Almighty.” Jeremiah 15:16 (NIV)

When we hear God’s Word read or taught, wherever that might be, it is an opportunity that we should treasure just because it is God’s Word! Jeremiah says His words give us joy. As they give us joy we can accept them and make them a part of our lives. That’s what is meant when the prophet says “I ate them.” He made them a part of his thinking and He put them into practice. So when we hear God’s word preached or taught, let’s make them a part of our life. Accept them as Jeremiah did and they will be our joy and delight.