Unraveling the mysteries

I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path.— Psalm 119:104

I have always enjoyed the wit and insight of Peanuts creator, Charles Schulz. One of my favorite cartoons drawn by him appeared in a book about young people in the church. It shows a young man holding a Bible as he tells a friend on the phone, “I think I’ve made one of the first steps toward unraveling the mysteries of the Old Testament . . . I’m starting to read it!” (Teen-Ager Is Not a Disease).

Psalm 119 overflows with the writer’s hunger to understand and experience the power of God’s Word each day. “Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long” (v. 97). This eager pursuit leads to growing wisdom, understanding, and obedience to the Lord (vv. 98-100).

The Bible doesn’t contain a magic formula for “unraveling the mysteries” in its pages. The process is more than mental and requires a response to what we read. While some passages may remain puzzling to us, we can embrace those truths we clearly understand, and say to the Lord, “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path” (vv. 103-104).

A wonderful journey of discovery awaits us in God’s Word. — David McCasland

Lord, thank You for the Bible, which gives us wisdom and understanding to follow Your pathway of life today.

READ: Psalm 119:97-104

A commitment to read and follow God’s Word begins a daily journey of discovering His love and power.

Bible in a Year: Jeremiah 20-21 and 2 Timothy 4