When you need something Perfect, Sure, Right, and Pure

How are you today? Seriously, how are things going? Take twenty-five seconds if necessary and honestly answer the question. How are you?

Maybe you can relate to one of the following statements:

• “I’m worn out. I need to be refreshed and revived.”
• “I need wisdom for ________ .”
• “I’m just plain ‘down’. I have no joy.”
• “Everything I see seems to be ugly and evil.”

If you connect with any of those statements then you might have a “case of the Mondays.” Or maybe it is bigger than that. Maybe you have some very real challenges on your plate. Listen for a moment to these amazing words from the nineteenth Psalm.

7 The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul;
the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple;
8 the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes;
- Psalm 19:7-8

In these two verses (which happen to be our Fighter Verses for the week!), David speaks of the Bible - God’s self revelation - in four unique ways. He describes the Bible as:

- the law (instruction)
- the testimony (what God bears witness to as valid)
- the precepts (applicable to the small details of life)
- the commandment (that which is intended for obedience)

The Bible is also given the qualities of being perfect, sure, right, and pure!

And finally, this perfect, sure, right, and pure word from God is said to result:

- in reviving (restoring true life whether threatened by danger or diminished by sorrow)
- in making wise
- in giving joy
- in enlightening the eyes (the eyes are the organs of desire, what is wanted out of life... the word of God instills true objectives, worthy values)

Earlier this week I found myself with a “case of the Mondays” - even though it was already Tuesday. Those four statements at the beginning of this post came right out of my own experience. I decided that I needed to spend my time alone with God using Psalm 19:7-8. I chose to take the time to write out the verses in a grid - listing each of the four descriptions, qualities, and results. I wanted to see it as a chart. As I lingered in the text I found myself quite noticeably experiencing first-hand the first and third results: I was revived and I was given joy.

As I continued to mediate on God’s good word, several of the “instructions” in the Bible that apply to me came to mind. I thought of things the Bible says about being a husband and a dad. I thought about being a pastor and what the Bible says about that role. As I wrote down various verses I marveled at the list of qualities Psalm 19:7-8 says about God’s word. It truly is perfect, sure, right, and pure.

My “case of the Mondays” wasn’t over. There were still some very real challenges to face. But after time alone with God in the context of Psalm 19:7-8, I found myself equipped to walk with God through them one at a time.

God’s word to us is truly a good word for us. Take time today, no matter how you feel, to think on (meditate on) Psalm 19:7-8. Read it: out loud, slowly, ten times. Ask God to cause your soul to say “Yes! Amen!” to what He says about His word. Thank God for giving you His word. Give the Holy Spirit time to awaken your soul to the goodness of the Bible. And as you do, see how God’s Word speaks to the things that weigh on you and how it gives you guidance and encouragement and hope for the real challenges you are facing, the real difficulties you are enduring, even the way in can transform your own “case of the Mondays.”

(Some of the definitions in the explanation of Psalm 19 are drawn from The New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition. 4th ed.: Inter-Varsity Press, 1994.)