“I will delight myself in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word.”  Psalm 119:1

Number 1 in the series “The Joy of Obeying God’s Word”

As a new believer in 1976, I was so gratefulfor my salvation that I wanted to get to know Jesus, the Savior of my soul. I was overwhelmed by His love, mercy, and amazing grace, which He demonstrated by dying on the cross to save a sinner like me. I knew that the only way to get to know the Lord was to spend time with Him: daily reading my Bible, talking to Him, and listening to Him. In many ways it is like a human relationship. To get to know someone, we have to spend time with him, talking to him, and listening to him.

I did not just want head knowledge. I wanted a deep intimate relationship with the Lord. I wanted to get to know Him and to love Him more. My earthly father left before I was born, so I never knew a dad. However, one day I read in Psalm 68:5 that God is a father to the fatherless. Ephesians 1:3-6 told me that God chose me before the foundations of the world; that through Christ it was His good pleasure to adopt me into His family.

Beloved, I cannot describe the joy that filled my soul as I read those words. You see, for 16 years over and over my mother would tell me that she wished I had never been born, that I was a mistake, and that she did not love me. The words I read in the Bible brought healing to my heart and soul. In Hebrews 13:5, God promised me that He would never leave me nor forsake me. I saw that God, my heavenly Father, was not like my earthly father. God was my Creator. He was my real Father. I wanted to spend as much time with Him as I could, and the more I came to know Him, the greater I trusted and loved Him.

Psalm 107:19-20 reads,  “Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, And He saved them out of their distresses. He sent His word and healed them…” Beloved, I love the Word of God. As I have daily read and obeyed it, I have experienced the power of the Holy Spirit to cleanse, deliver, heal, and restore my spirit, soul, and body. Applying the Word of God healed me of the hurts, anger, and bitterness I had towards my father for deserting me and my mother who physically beat me for 16 years. The power of God’s Word and the Holy Spirit helped me forgive as Christ had forgiven me.

God is not only my Creator. He is my Abba Father and my best Friend. Jesus is not only my Savior; He is my best Friend. The Holy Spirit is not only my Teacher and my Comforter; He is my best Friend.

Beloved, can I ask you a question today? Do you love God’s Word? All the answers to your pain and problems can only be found in the Bible. I want to repeat that. You can search everywhere you want to, but the true answers to your pain and problems can only be found in the Bible. The Lord loves you. He wants a deep personal relationship with you. While others will fail you, the Lord will never leaveyou. He will never forsake you. I encourage you to stop trying to run your own life. Give it to Jesus. Only He can save your soul and truly help you.

— Janice McBride

http://www.janicemcbride.com/_pdfs/psalm_119_english/Psalm%20119_no1.pdf