A Good Offense

I will delight in your decrees and not forget your word
—Psalm 119:16

When a young Billy Sunday became a Christan, another believer gave him some advice that he never forgot: “Let God talk to you fifteen minutes a day through His Word. Talk to God fifteen minutes a day in prayer. Talk for God fifteen minutes a day.”

The other believer went on to say that if Billy practiced these things in his life as a Christian, no one would ever write the word backslider after his name. Billy Sunday followed this advice and became one of the most powerful evangelists in the history of the church. He recognized the value of moving forward.

The same is true of the happy people of Psalm 1. Yes, they don’t do certain things. But here is what they do instead: “They delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night” (verse 2 NLT). They recognize that the best defense is a good offense.

Now, when this psalm was written, the Bible as we know it today had not yet been entirely written or compiled—there were only the first five books of Moses, known as the Pentateuch, to read. Certainly, today, with sixty-six books in the Bible to glean from, we should be even more eager to meditate on the Word of God.

Notice also that “they delight in the law of the Lord.” God’s Word isn’t drudgery or a duty. Rather, it’s a delight.

How do you feel about Bible study? Is it a delight? Or is it a drudgery? Many of us read the Bible with a hunt-and-peck approach. We read a little here and a little there with no real concern for context or what a book is saying. And then we don’t understand why we don’t benefit from what the Scriptures say.

The joyful people of Psalm 1 meditate on God’s Word “day and night” (verse 2). The Bible obviously isn’t speaking of so-called transcendental meditation that disengages the mind to receive impressions from elsewhere. Rather, the meditation the Bible advocates deliberately engages the conscious mind with the truths of God’s Word. It is studying the Bible using our minds and contemplating what we’re reading.

Here are four great questions to ask ourselves when we’re reading the Bible: (1) Is there any sin here for me to avoid? (2) Is there any promise for me to claim? (3) Is there any victory to gain? (4) Is there any blessing to enjoy?

That is reading with a sense of anticipation. It’s recognizing that these are the words of God Himself, and we are to value His words more than gold. There are great rewards for those who study Scripture.

Far too often, we fail to discover the treasures in God’s Word because we never open it. Yet there is direction for our lives to help us know how to have a good marriage, how to have a good life, and how to function properly in this world.

The Bible tells us everything we need to know about God and life. That is why, if we want to be happy people, we must meditate on the Word of God day and night.