Savoring the Word; Savoring God

Psalm 119:11 I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.

I have several Bibles which I own. I have two in my office, one in my briefcase, another 5-10 at home. Some are different translations while others deal with specific subject matters, such as prophecy. Some are worn and tattered as a good Bible should be while others sit seemingly neglected. What I am afraid they all have in common in my life is that they are taken for granted. They were there yesterday and they are there today so I assume they will always be there. Perhaps I do not savor the words as much as I should because of the freedoms I live under. Lord forgive me.

Because then I read the stories. You know the ones. The stories from other countries. The countries we try not to think about too often. The ones that do not enjoy the freedom we enjoy here in America. The stories about how individual chapters of the Bible are copied and passed around through an underground network of underground churches, filled with believers who are starving for the Word of God. Not copies of books of the Bible, but mere chapters. Something to savor. Something to hold onto. These are the stories we do not want to have to think about because they force us to come face to face with our own complacency. Stories like the one about Wang Xiaoguang and his wife, Yang Rongli arrested in 2009 for operating an underground church in China and sentenced to seven years in prison. Seven years for worshipping Jesus Christ. Seven years for raising their hands in surrender to God. Seven years for copying individual chapters of the Bible and treating them like pure gold. So the question I feel God asking me today, as we enter into a new year, is what is it that I value?

"Sell your possessions and give to those in need. This will store up treasure for you in heaven! And the purses of heaven never get old or develop holes. Your treasure will be safe; no thief can steal it and no moth can destroy it. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be. Luke 12: 33-34 (NLT)

Where is the Word of God in our value system today? Are we storing it up within ourselves? Do we truly value it; or is it being taken for granted? Do we have more copies of the Bible in our homes than we have moments per week that we actually read it? What would happen if tomorrow the Bible was banned in this country? If we lost the ability and freedom to have 24 hour access to it? What spiritual shape would we find ourselves in over time?

We find the answer in our key verse today. Tucked away in the 11^th verse of the longest Psalm, we see the Psalmist instructing us on the Word and we see a two salient points to remember. First, the Psalmist instructs us as to the nature of the relationship we are to have with the Word of Almighty God. We sometimes read the Word as if it is an academic endeavor. We turn the holy Word of God into an educational assignment. To be studied, probed, and analyzed. While it is important to delve into deeper truths it is more important that the Word of God is internalized. Note the Psalmist says that he hides the Word of God in his heart. What do we typically hide? We hide what we find is of great value to us. Jesus told a Parable with a similar theme:

"The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field. Matthew 13: 44 (NLT)

In our excitement about the Word of God we need to strive to hide it in our hearts as well. In our heart is where our treasure is laid up. Do we ever take a moment to realize the gift God has given us in His Word? A slice of the thinking and mindset of God!

In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him and nothing was created except through him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. John 1: 1-5

The same Word that sits on your coffee table existed before the foundations of the world were laid! That same Word is what gave life to everything you see today. It is that Word that penetrates and defeats the darkness we see in this fallen world every day. That Word that sits on our shelves is not just an insight into who God is and what He wants. It is not just a collection of writings spread out over the canopy of centuries in our history. It is God Himself. We often times can bemoan feeling as if God is somehow a far away entity or that God has somehow distanced Himself from us. All the while we have Him sitting on our end table. Maybe we dust Him off long enough to go to church each Sunday but He goes right back on the shelf when we get home. We feel His awesome power on Sunday but are lacking that power in our lives during the week because we choose to not access it. Hiding His Word in our hearts is an act of the will. Let's look at the armor of God:

Therefore, put on every piece of God's armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God's righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Ephesians 6: 13-17 (NLT)

We should note two things from these verses. First of all, there is no covering for our back in this armor. That is because God did not create us to be in retreat! He did not create us to be running away. We are to be forward moving in our entanglements with the enemy. We are to be strategic. Secondly, the only offensive weapon we have is the Word of God. The Book of Hebrews tells us that the Word is alive and sharper than a two-edged sword. There is a reason why the enemy fights hard and long to keep that Bible on your shelf. There is a reason why the devil wants it sitting on your coffee table. Because he is afraid of it. He is afraid of it because it is the weapon that defeats him. This is who your enemy is:

You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. John 8: 44 (NIV)

The devil is not bilingual beloved. He only speaks in lies. That is his weapon against us. He wields it against us all the time. He is constantly whispering lies in our ears to get us off the track God has us on. But what about our great weapon?

Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. John 17: 17 (NIV)

It would stand to reason that if the enemy is nothing but lies, that God would be nothing but truth. His Word again, is who He is. But like anything sharp, it needs to be used if it is to maintain its edge. The grind of everyday life can tend to pull us away from the Word and our sword can then become dull. We need to realize that every attack we undergo from the enemy consists of two opposite thoughts. One is from the enemy and it is a lie. For every lie he can possibly whisper into our ear, there is a verse in the Bible that assures us he is lying. If we have faith and believe the Bible we triumph because we believe God. If we start to waver and doubt the Word, we can fall for the schemes of the enemy.

Here is the key though. We do not casually decide to not believe the Word of God! Why would any believer do that? No beloved, we slip in our beliefs a little bit at a time because we do not hide the Word in our hearts. Because we compromise the time we need to spend reading the Word, internalizing the Word, and hiding it in our heart. We start to take it for granted. The words on the pages become just that words. Instead of being alive and sharp in our lives! When they become words instead of instructions; words instead of exhortations; words instead of assurances they become powerless. But when they are hidden in our hearts they are ready for us to use to combat the enemy. We pick up the sword of the Spirit at start to carve up his lies with the truth of God. With the promises of God. With the very nature of God!

The second salient point from the key verse today has to deal with why we need to hide His Word in our hearts. Sure it is because of the enemy and so that we can grow closer to God but ultimately the Psalmist reminds us the price of not knowing or believing God and that is sin. What sin ultimately does is separate us from God. I do not believe that anyone starts their day out consciously deciding to sin against God. It is a matter of sin becoming marginalized in our lives. It is a matter of sin becoming blurry in our eyesight. The average atheist knows for example that God says we should not steal. If he chooses that day to steal something he probably did not set out to sin against God because he denies the very existence of God! If a believer is presented with the same temptation to steal and they succumb to it, then we can assume that "thou shall not steal" was not firmly hidden in their heart. So it goes beyond spiritual warfare and being able to discern the lies of the enemy and the truth of God. Because what waits on the other side is sin. The enemy lies in an effort to make us ineffectual for the kingdom of God and to drive a wedge between God and us. Remember, choosing to believe the lie of the enemy over the truth of the Word is a matter of faith. Faith is believing what God said.

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Hebrews 11: 6 (NIV)

And how do we earnestly seek Him? Certainly through prayer and worship but also through reading His Word; savoring it; hiding it in our heart. It is a reciprocal relationship:

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. Psalm 91: 1 (NKJV)

The key words in this verse are dwell and abide. These words convey a sense of permanence. They are not flighty terms. If we seek to abide under the shadow of Almighty God then we must choose to dwell in His secret place. We must choose to dwell in His Word and to hide it in our hearts.

2011 has begun. A new year is upon us with new opportunities. New chances to dust off the Word of God. Remove it from the shelf and start to hide it in our heart. A new chance to sharpen our sword and as a result; sharpen our faith. This is the war we find ourselves in:

We are human, but we don't wage war as humans do. We use God's mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ. 2Corinthians 10: 3-5 (NLT)

Rebellious thoughts lead to sin. Strongholds of human reasoning and false arguments lead to sin. Sin separates us from God. It is a confusing world beloved and the enemy is very persuasive at what he does. We need to be equally diligent in preparing our hearts for the attack we know is coming. Let us resolve this year to place the importance of the Word of God where it belongs. I think of Wang Xiaoguang and his wife, Yang Rongli and realize that they will not get to read the Word for another six years. They will not get to attend church, fellowship with other believers, or publicly express their love for Christ. Yet I believe they will survive these years because of how much they valued the Word before they were imprisoned. Because they had to read it copied chapter, by copied chapter. Savoring every Word from God. Savoring it, hiding it, becoming it. We should strive to do no less.

Reverend Anthony Wade January 4, 2011