The Word To Live By: 10-14-25
Phil Waggoner
Just as a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him. Psalm 103:11
The Word to live by: Here’s that “fear of the Lord” admonishment again. Again, it does not mean we need to be frightened or scared of the Lord but honorable and respectful. If you go back to the beginning of this Psalm, verses 1- 2 say, “Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits.” Then it goes on to remind us of what those benefits are. (It would do you well to memorize the first eight verses of this Psalm just so you would have His benefits firmly secured in your heart.) So, is this instruction on how we are to exhibit our fear of the Lord? I think it’s a piece of the puzzle. To bless someone is to say something good about them to them. For instance, when you say to someone (sincerely) “Have a good day,” you are blessing them. When you say, “good morning” or “good afternoon” to someone, you are blessing them. So, what the Psalmist is doing is talking to himself and telling his mind, will and emotions to remember to be grateful and thankful to God the Father for the benefits He blesses us with. He is also saying to himself that forgiveness is not earned, it’s bestowed (verse 3). Sickness and disease are not from God who has bought you back from destructive behavior and the curse that goes along with it (verse 4). He satisfies you with the good things of life (verse 5). He does righteous deeds and judgments on your behalf when you are oppressed (verse 6). He gives you revelation knowledge in His ways and acts (verse 7). To sum it all up, he is reminding himself that, “The Lord is compassionate and gracious. Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness.” When you speak to yourself like that, you are exhibiting the fear of the Lord.
Read through the Bible in a year: Revelation 14; Esther 5:1-6:13; Psalms 106:24-48;
Read through the New Testament and Proverbs: Proverbs 14, Luke 9:32-62, 1 Timothy 5
The sum of Thy Word is Truth Psalm 119:160