I believe the truth of Psalm 119:103 with all my heart: “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth.” And whenever I read the Word of God, like Jeremiah I hope to say to God, “When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight.”
Yes, every verse of the Scripture that we consume comes from God’s mouth to ours. “Open wide your mouth, and I will fill it” (Psalm 81:10). Every portion of God’s Word is food our souls, and God delights to nourish us with His truth whenever we read it.
Psalm 23 has been the favorite psalm of many believers for centuries. And for good reason. It is filled with great thoughts of our great God. “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall lack nothing” (Psalm 23:1). God is the great Provider, and like a shepherd, He provides everything we need in the physical realm as well as the spiritual.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
He leads me beside quiet waters,
He restores my soul.
Psalm 23:2-3
Charles Spurgeon asks: “What are these green pastures?” I love his answer: “the Scriptures of truth — always fresh, always rich, and never exhausted.” Isn’t that a wonderful description of the Word of God? The spiritual food found in the Bible is inexhaustible. You can read the Word every day for the rest of your life and never find a shortage of soul-satisfying sustenance.
Spurgeon continues: “There is no fear of biting the bare ground where the grass is long enough for the flock to lie down in it. Sweet and full are the doctrines of the gospel; fit food for souls, as tender grass is natural nutriment for sheep. When by faith we are enabled to find rest in the promises, we are like the sheep that lie down in the midst of the pasture; we find at the same moment both provender (food) and peace, rest and refreshment, serenity and satisfaction.”
When we lie down in the green pastures of God’s Word, amazing things happen. We experience the peace of God. We find rest for our souls. We are refreshed, rejuvenated and revived. We are filled with contentment.
And all we did was read this Book. How can this be? How does this happen?
Spurgeon explains the mystery of the transforming power of God’s Word:
“But observe: ‘He makes me lie down.’ It is the Lord who graciously enables us to perceive the preciousness of His truth, and to feed upon it. How grateful ought we to be for the power to appropriate the promises!”
When we read the Bible and find ourselves filled to the brim with joy and wonder at the greatness and goodness of God, something miraculous is happening. While we read, God is at work in our hearts, doing what only He can do. He answers the prayer of Psalm 119:18 and opens our eyes that we may see wonderful things in His law.
Of course, the extent to which we experience the Spirit’s illumination can vary. There are days when our understanding of Scripture enthralls us. And then there are days when it just isn’t there to the degree we would like.
Spurgeon addresses this, too: “There are some distracted souls who would give worlds if they could but do this. They know the blessedness of it, but they cannot say that this blessedness is theirs. They know the ‘green pastures,’ but they are not made to ‘lie down’ in them.”
Perhaps your time in the Word hasn’t been what it used to be. If so, take heart. It could be that you have a “distracted soul,” encumbered by the stress and strain of life. I urge you to not give up. Please persevere and do not cease to cry out to God for the strength to read and understand His Word, and He will be faithful to answer that prayer.
And should your reading of Scripture continues to be a source of joy, Spurgeon has a final word for you, too: “Those believers who have for years enjoyed a ‘full assurance of faith’ should greatly bless their gracious God.”
Yes, every time you read the Word and sense His life-changing presence, lift your voice to God in praise, for you have been the recipient of His grace once again.
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