What's in your mouth?

¹ I will bless the LORD at all times;
         His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

 ² My soul shall make its boast in the LORD;
         The humble shall hear of it and be glad.

 ³ Oh, magnify the LORD with me,
         And let us exalt His name together.
       
 ⁴ I sought the LORD, and He heard me,
         And delivered me from all my fears.

                                         (Psalm 34:1-4)

When we meditate on the law of the Lord “day and night” (Psalm 1:2), we begin to establish some good habits.  Think:  so far today, have I thought about God’s Word?  For example, one way to do this is to “relate” the things that are happening around you in the natural world to the scriptures.

Often as I see the sun rising in the morning, I am reminded of the verse in Malachi 4:2 ” But to you who fear My name The Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings;”

As I think on this verse, I make it a prayer that the “Sun of Righteousness,” Jesus, will heal people I am praying for who have some physical, emotional, and spiritual need.  This reminds me to pray for them again, but also helps me to meditate more on Who Jesus is and what He can do.

As I train myself to meditate on the Word of God through-out the day and into the night, Psalm 34:1 becomes more of a reality!  “I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.”

To be able to say this is a great testimony.  I am the first to admit that this is not always the case in my life (and mouth!).  First of all, this is an act of my will. “I will bless the Lord at all times.”  “I” am the one who chooses to do this.  “I” have control over what I say.

Remember:  God’s word says “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” (Luke 6:45)

Therefore, if I meditate on the Word, day and night, guess what is likely to come out of my mouth?  Blessing and praise. 

So, throughout the day, it is good to stop and ask myself:  "What's in my mouth?"

Sweet Meditation

“You send forth Your Spirit, they are created: and you renew the face of the earth. The glory of the LORD shall endure for ever: the LORD shall rejoice in his works. He looks on the earth, and it trembles: he touches the hills, and they smoke. I will sing unto the LORD as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the LORD. (Psalm 104:30-34)

My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the LORD.

Charles Spurgeon wrote on this verse:

“My meditation of him shall be sweet. Sweet both to him and to me. I shall be delighted thus to survey his works and think of his person, and he will graciously accept my notes of praise. Meditation is the soul of religion. It is the tree of life in the midst of the garden of piety, and very refreshing is its fruit to the soul which feeds thereon. And as it is good towards man, so is it towards God. As the fat of the sacrifice was the Lord's portion, so are our best meditations due to the Most High and are most acceptable to him. We ought, therefore, both for our own good and for the Lord's honour to be much occupied with meditation, and that meditation should chiefly dwell upon the Lord himself: it should be "meditation of him." For want of it much communion is lost and much happiness is missed.”  (Treasury of David) 

The last words ever written by Henry Martyn as he was dying, “I sat in the orchard and thought with sweet comfort and peace of my God, in solitude my company, my Friend and Comforter.”

As we observe nature and the hand of God in nature, see His marvelous wisdom and His glory, we can’t help but have a song in our heart! Experience the brilliant colors of a sunset, the majesty of snow-capped mountains, an exquisite flower, the smile of a new-born baby….and the heart wants to sing a song of praise to God.  Our meditation of Him is sweet as we think about Him and what He has done.

Here is another sweet thought.  Look what the Lord has done in Psalm 3.  It is a Psalm of David when he fled from Absalom his son.

 ¹ LORD, how they have increased who trouble me!
         Many are they who rise up against me.
 ² Many are they who say of me,
         “There is no help for him in God.”  Selah 
        
 ³ But You, O LORD, are a shield for me,
         My glory and the One who lifts up my head.
 ⁴ I cried to the LORD with my voice,
         And He heard me from His holy hill.  Selah 
        
 ⁵ I lay down and slept;
         I awoke, for the LORD sustained me.
 ⁶ I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people
         Who have set themselves against me all around.       

Talk about a sweet meditation!  In these days of turmoil in our world, can you say: “ I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the LORD sustained me”?

If not, call on the Lord right now….talk to Him and ask Him to make Himself real to you.  Come into a relationship with Him. 

• ·        He will give you sleep. 

• ·        He will sustain you. 

• ·        He will be your shield. 

• ·        He will be your salvation!

Now, that is a sweet thought!

Meditation….day and night.

“But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
   and on his law he meditates day and night. (Psalm 1:1-2)

Meditation: “The practice of reflection or contemplation. The word meditation or its verb form, to meditate, is found mainly in the Old Testament. The Hebrew words behind this concept mean "to murmur, "a murmuring," "sighing," or "moaning." This concept is reflected in Ps 1:2, where the "blessed man" meditates on God's law day and night. The psalmist also prayed that the meditation of his heart would be acceptable in God's sight (Ps 19:14). Joshua was instructed to meditate on the Book of the Law for the purpose of obeying all that was written in it (Josh 1:8).” (from Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Copyright © 1986, Thomas Nelson Publishers)

I like the thoughts on meditation from Matthew Henry's “Commentary on the Whole Bible.”

“To meditate in God's word is to discourse (dialogue) with ourselves concerning the great things contained in it, with a close application of mind, a fixedness of thought, till we be suitably affected with those things and experience the savour and power of them in our hearts. This we must do day and night; we must have a constant habitual regard to the word of God as the rule of our actions and the spring of our comforts, and we must have it in our thoughts, accordingly, upon every occasion that occurs, whether night or day. No time is amiss for meditating on the word of God, nor is any time unseasonable for those visits. We must not only set ourselves to meditate on God's word morning and evening, at the entrance of the day and of the night, but these thought should be interwoven with the business and converse of every day and with the repose and slumbers of every night. When I awake I am still with thee”