The Word
Today’s scripture selection: Psalms 119
Key verses: Psalm 119:11
“I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”
It’s the longest Psalm and longest chapter in the Bible.
It’s also a love poem, written to God and His Word.
Some think it may have been written by a man named Ezra, after the temple had been re-built. It is constructed in such a way so that each section begins with a letter corresponding to a letter in the Hebrew alphabet and each verse beginning with the letter of its section.
But, technical matters aside, it’s clearly a long meditation on how God’s word is something very beautiful – not just to behold and study – but to embrace.
Thousands of years later – Bibles are common – at least in the United States. You can pick up a paperback copy of the King James Version for just a few bucks.
And while, in other parts of the world, people are starved to get even a little sliver of God’s word to study – in America – many homes have multiple copies of this great library of sacred texts.
The problem is – in many homes – it’s never read.
So – here’s to Ezra – and here’s to his love poem lifting up the wonderful gift of Holy Scripture.
And here’s to the idea that we commit ourselves to cherishing it and “hiding it” in our hearts every day.
Prayer: Lord, how beautiful is your Holy Scripture. May I never take it for granted. AMEN.
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By Paul Simrell
The Reverend Paul W. Simrell has served for over thirty years in a variety of congregational and institutional settings. He is a recognized minister with standing in the Virginia region of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada and is nationally endorsed by the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) for specialized ministry in both pastoral counseling and chaplaincy. Ordained in 1982, he has served congregations in Kentucky, Texas, Florida, and Virginia. He currently serves as the pastor of Elpis Christian Church, a small, historic congregation located just a few miles west of Richmond, Virginia. “Elpis” is the Greek word for “expectant hope.” He is a graduate of the University of Florida and Lexington Theological Seminary and has done advanced clinical training in chaplaincy and pastoral counseling at the University of Kentucky Medical Center in Lexington, Kentucky, Children’s Medical Center and Parkland Hospital in Dallas, Texas and the Virginia Institute of Pastoral Care in Richmond, Virginia. He is a Certified Pastoral Counselor, an ACPE Practitioner, a member of the American Association of Christian Counselors, and a member of Spiritual Directors International. He is a Certified Facilitator of the Prepare-Enrich relationship assessment and skills-building program and served as a volunteer chaplain for over twenty years with the CJW Medical Center campuses in Richmond, Virginia. His avocational interests include playing the piano and drawing. He is very happily married to his wife Elizabeth Yeamans Simrell, a free-lance writer, who is also a Certified Facilitator for the Prepare-Enrich program.
Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton
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