“My flesh trembles in fear of you; I stand in awe of your laws.” — Psalm 119:120 (NIV)

I have been unable to write this devotion for a day now. Every time I thought and planned to sit down to type, the words just seemed inadequate. How does one explain the awesomeness of God? How does one put into words the holy fear that one ought to experience in His presence? It’s like I knew what I wanted to say when I was thinking it, but the words wouldn’t come out to my fingers. But then it hit me. The psalmist here is not describing this mystical feeling of fear that we should experience when we transcendentally come into contact with God as a spiritual being. The psalmist is telling us that God’s Word is so inspired by Him that it alone reveals to us the heart of a holy and transcendent God. He comes to us in His Word. Now that makes my flesh tremble. The Bible has 66 books written over thousands of years by nearly 40 authors, and in it we encounter the God of the universe.

As we crack open the Bible and begin to read, we are reading divinely inspired words. As we read, we come into contact with God Himself. He reveals Himself to us because He wants to be known. He wants to be in a relationship with us. This alone is reason to tremble. The Bible that we read reveals eternal truths about the eternal and temporal realities we live in. God’s Word provides answers (at least partial) to the key questions that plague humanity. Why am I here? Who am I? What does it mean to be me? Where do I find value and worth? How should I live in this world? All these questions are addressed in God’s Word.

We, and the psalmist, should stand in awe of God’s Word because of what it is. Every other book on the planet was written by men. The Bible was written by God through men. It is His Word to us. May we turn to His Word with holy fear and trembling. May we never lose the sense of awe we should have in knowing that the God of all eternity cares enough for us to leave us His Word.

Peace!

Pastor Tom

www.firmlyrooted.church