Rest and Comfort through the Word

ZAYIN

"49Remember the word to Your servant, Upon which You have caused me to hope. 

50This is my comfort in my affliction, For Your word has given me life. 51The proud have me in great derision,Yet I do not turn aside from Your law. 52I remembered Your judgments of old, O Lord, And have comforted myself.53Indignation has taken hold of me Because of the wicked, who forsake Your law. 54Your statutes have been my songs In the house of my pilgrimage. 55I remember Your name in the night, O Lord, And I keep Your law. 56This has become mine, Because I kept Your precepts."                      

                                                       Psalm 119:49-56   NKJV

God keeps His promises! They give us hope and comfort as He delivers them at the right time. Just the fact we have His promise, even though the promise has not yet come to fruition, the thought of them is encouraging to our soul. It's not possible that God could ever forget His promise but, it is natural for us to remind Him.

We will be subject to ridicule from both non-believers and sadly, from certain believers who seem to find problems with most things. However, if God's in it, stick to it, no matter what. Also, be encouraged when you remember your past victories. Did God let you down? No, and He won't this time unless, you move away from His plan.

It causes us indignation when people dishonour God's work or people. But God knows about this and He will take care of it. You just look ahead at your victory and the promises God has made to you. Praise can help alleviate any stress and worry. A hearty song to Jesus is far better than medication. The road ahead may be dark but, God shines a light so you won't stumble. What's more, He will be with you every step of the way. 

Finally, we all have sleepless nights where no matter what, sleep does not come our way. These particular nights can be used to study His Word and know more about Him. If you have ear buds, why not listen to God's Word or listen to some soft worship music. It will lift you and, pretty soon you will fall asleep.

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now

Lord Jesus, I have sinned. I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today. In Jesus' Name. Amen
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If you would like to contact me, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

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Copyright 2025 Grahame Howard. 

 

Victory through the Word

WAW

"41Let Your mercies come also to me, O Lord—Your salvation according to Your word.
42So shall I have an answer for him who reproaches me, For I trust in Your word.
43And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth, For I have hoped in Your ordinances. 44So shall I keep Your law continually, Forever and ever. 45And I will walk at liberty, For I seek Your precepts. 46I will speak of Your testimonies also before kings, And will not be ashamed. 47And I will delight myself in Your commandments, Which I love.48My hands also I will lift up to Your commandments,
Which I love, And I will meditate on Your statutes."    Psalm 119:41-48   NKJV

(v41) We must never take God's mercies andy salvation for granted. We are as dependant on His compassion and protection as when we were first saved. (v43) Our faith is based on the Word of God which can never fail. Therefore, when we place God in the first place of our life; we can have an answer for all who oppose us - remember David and Goliath? The giant was shouting abuse against David and His God as he approached him, but, it was the giant who fell, not David (1 Samuel 17). When we place God in His rightful place within us, we need to do everything to keep Him there. One thing you could say is: 'How can I do less than give Him my best and live for Him completely, after all He's done for me? (v44).

As we put Jesus first we will walk in liberty (v45). Those (John 8:36). who are set free by the Son of God, are free indeed. The world thinks the Christian life is one of bondage, but that is far from the truth. Jesus gives us perfect liberty. He gives us faith to speak to every type of class, including kings if need be and given, the opportunity. As we meditate on God's Word and walk with Him daily, we are not ashamed, in fact, we are delighted and honoured that He chose us. Let us make the most of it!

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now

Lord Jesus, I have sinned. I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today. In Jesus' Name. Amen
dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers
Why not order my Daily Commentary from Amazon - Paperback or Kindle Check it out. Just tap on Grahame Howard books.

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Copyright 2025 Grahame Howard. 

 

The Power of the Word

HE

"33Teach me, O Lord, the way of Your statutes, And I shall keep it to the end. 34Give me understanding, and I shall keep Your law; Indeed, I shall observe it with my whole heart 35Make me walk in the path of Your commandments, For I delight in it.36Incline my heart to Your testimonies, And not to covetousness. 37 Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things, And revive me in Your way. 38Establish Your word to Your servant, Who is devoted to fearing You. 39Turn away my reproach which I dread, For Your judgments are good. 40Behold, I long for Your precepts; Revive me in Your righteousness."                                    Psalm 119:33-40   NKJV

There is definitely a need to understand the bible. This is common to the non-believer, where they pick up a bible, read a few verses and put it down again, none the wiser. What happened? They couldn't make sense of it and then misinterpreted it, seeing what isn't there. It's the Holy Spirit who opens our eyes and gives us understanding. Even for believers, it can be difficult to make sense of a particular scripture and they search bible commentaries for help find the answer. It takes discipline, understanding and practice to get a clear interpretation. We need to pray for guidance and instruction, and in the case of the non-believer, salvation.

In verse 37, the writer tells us that we should pray for divine realities, not shadows. Think for a moment, could God be telling us to turn the TV off? V37 continues with the thought 'Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things and revive me to Your way.' TV depicts a 'Never, Never Lamd', a world that doesn't exist. We need God to ignite us with the Holy Spirit so that we are on fire for God - a personal revival v40. For those who have been spiritually dry, it's time to dip into the pool of `life, where Jesus 

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now

Lord Jesus, I have sinned. I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today. In Jesus' Name. Amen
dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers
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Copyright 2025 Grahame Howard. 

Sense of personal insufficiency through the Word

DALETH

"25My soul clings to the dust; Revive me according to Your word. 26I have declared my ways, and You answered me; Teach me Your statutes. 27Make me understand the way of Your precepts; So shall I meditate on Your wonderful works. 28My soul melts from heaviness; Strengthen me according to Your word.29Remove from me the way of lying, And grant me Your law graciously. 30I have chosen the way of truth; Your judgments I have laid before me. 31I cling to Your testimonies; O Lord, do not put me to shame! 32I will run the course of Your commandments, For You shall enlarge my heart."

                                                              Psalm 119:25-32   NKJV

Psalm 119 is used deeply as a prayer by its writer. He appears to have a lot going on in his life. In today's section, one can feel his sense of depression: 'My soul clings to the dust' v25, and then, 'My soul melts from heaviness' v28. Life has its valleys as well as its mountain tops. Even when we are cast down in sorrow we can call on the Lord to revive us through the restoring power of the Word. Isaiah reminds us of this when he writes 'The garments of praise for the spirit of heaviness' Isaiah 61:3. As we call upon the Lord, He incites us to praise Him and as we do, He lifts us out of dark valleys.

Notice how the writer mentions his state of mind, 

'My soul melts with heaviness.' Remember that your soul is made up of your mind, will and emotions. Everyone is susceptible to depression. It may come through a variety of life events which we have negotiated successfully but, a final one has broken us and our world becomes a dark, scary and heavy place to be in. Isaiah gives us the answer to this, Isaiah 61:3. Praise lifts us. It may be difficult to do initially, but with determination, we can make a breakthrough.

You may be in a state of darkness at this moment. Don't be intimidated by this, no one can avoid times such as these. But there is an answer and His name is Jesus Christ. All one has to do is speak to Him and tell Him how you feel. Listen to His still, small voice and allow Him to place His peace upon you. Just tell Him you love him. There is no more you need to say. He will respond to this I can assure you. Don't forget that His disciples were prone to depression as King David and Elijah were. He will not point the finger at you and think that you are a weakling that can never be of any use to Him. No, he will look at you as a mighty warrior who needs a little R and R at the moment. As He builds you up little by little, you will begin to count the days when you can get back on to the road He initially placed you on.

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now

Lord Jesus, I have sinned. I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today. In Jesus' Name. Amen
dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers
Why not order my Daily Commentary from Amazon - Paperback or Kindle Check it out. Just tap on Grahame Howard books.

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Copyright 2025 Grahame Howard. 

Discernment by the Word

GIMEL

17Deal bountifully with Your servant, That I may live and keep Your word. 18Open my eyes, that I may see Wondrous things from Your law.19 I am a stranger in the earth;
Do not hide Your commandments from me. 20My soul breaks with longing For Your judgments at all times. 21You rebuke the proud—the cursed, Who stray from Your commandments.22Remove from me reproach and contempt, For I have kept Your testimonies. 23Princes also sit and speak against me, But Your servant meditates on Your statutes. 24Your testimonies also are my delight And my counsellors.

                                                                Psalm 119:17-24.  NKJV

Today we reach our third section, Discernment by the Word. In verse 17, the writer discerns that much grace shall be given them (bountifully). Without Him (Jesus) we can do nothing (John 15:5). We need grace for living and also for obeying the Word. This is what Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 12:9, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness'. 

The bible abounds  with wondrous, spiritual things which are hidden from our eyes. Our eyes need opening to see them. This is where discernment comes in v18. The writer has an intense longing for God's Word and His presence (v119-20). He knows it is the only safe and wonderful place to be. History is full of instances of how proud and insolent people have defied the Lord's commandments (v21). And how they were soon brought down to earth by the mighty hand of God. 

Sometimes it's hard to believe that God allows us to go through certain, painful times. We wonder why and this has caused many in the past to think God doesn't care at all. That is so wrong, He loves us, deeply, even though He didn't rescue us. However, at the end of time, when we stand before the Lord, our reward will be, 'Well done' and this will compensate for any reproach and contempt, we may have felt. I expect there are many of us who have been in this position at some time or another. We may be trying to keep afloat in a raging sea of conflict and no help appears to be on the horizon. Think for a moment - you made it, didn't you? Who do you think did that for you? Remember, we can't do anything on our own (John 15:5).

In summing up here in this section, people in authority may have spoken against us in an unkind and damaging way. This may be a boss or any one else who was in charge of us at that time. The best way to counteract this is, not to attack or try to defend yourself. Many times, this just makes things worse. The best way is to remember that in God, we find our strength as we meditate on His Word. Give it all to God.

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now

Lord Jesus, I have sinned. I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today. In Jesus' Name. Amen
dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers
Why not order my Daily Commentary from Amazon - Paperback or Kindle Check it out. Just tap on Grahame Howard books.

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Copyright 2025 Grahame Howard. 

Cleansing by the Word

 BETH

"9How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word. 10With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! 11Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You. 12Blessed are You, O Lord! Teach me Your statutes. 13With my lips I have declared All the judgments of Your mouth. 14I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, As much as in all riches.15 I will meditate on Your precepts, And contemplate Your ways. 16I will delight myself in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word."   Psalm 119:9-16   NKJV

How can this happen? How can a man or a woman, young or old, cleanse themselves? The answer is, by taking heed according to God's Word. Actually, it doesn't only affect the young man or woman; it affects any age. Therefore, how do we keep pure? By practical obedience to what it teaches us in the bible. But, if we don't read it, how can we know it? As we go through this part of the Psalm. there is a merging of human desire - 'With my whole heart I have sought you' - then a plea to God, 'Oh let me not wander from Your commandments'. The person writing this Psalm knows how difficult this walk is.

The best place to place God's Word is, is in the heart, the writer calls it 'hidden in the heart' v11. We are not made holy by our own efforts. We need God to knock on our door (Rev 3:20). As we open it and invite Him in, He comes in and has fellowship with us. We need Him in our heart - hidden away- 

We also need to learn from Him and the only way we'll do that, is to spend quality time with Him. When I say 'quality' I mean as much as we can, we need to spend time with Him. If He is in our heart, it is a shame to ignore Him or only acknowledge Him occasionally through the day. He can, and wants to be, helpful throughout our day. He knows all things; He knows the way things go and He knows when we are going down the wrong track. Why waste this time when He is available to us 24/7. It makes no sense. Spend 'quality time' with Him.

When we are fully charged up in the Holy Spirit, we have this desire to want others to know what He has done in our lives. We have the need to evangelise anything that is near us. It's ok to be this way. It is the excitement of the Holy Spirit within us. What we have, we want others to have too, we can't help ourselves. 

As we meditate on His Word and consider His ways, we begin to delight ourselves in His statutes (v15-16), we will never forget what He has done for us. In fact, once a person experiences Jesus, they will never want to be without Him.

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now

Lord Jesus, I have sinned. I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today. In Jesus' Name. Amen
dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers
Why not order my Daily Commentary from Amazon - Paperback or Kindle Check it out. Just tap on Grahame Howard books.

If you would like to contact me email grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Copyright 2025 Grahame Howard. 

The Blessedness of obeying the Word

ALEPH    

1Blessed are the undefiled in the way, Who walk in the law of the Lord! 2Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, Who seek Him with the whole heart! 3They also do no iniquity; They walk in His ways. 4You have commanded us To keep Your precepts diligently. 5Oh, that my ways were directed To keep Your statutes! 6Then I would not be ashamed, When I look into all Your commandments. 7I will praise You with uprightness of heart, When I learn Your righteous judgments. 8I will keep Your statutes; Oh, do not forsake me utterly!                          Psalm 119:1-8   NKJV

This Psalm has been called the golden alphabet of the bible. The reason is that it is divided into 22 sections, one for each letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Each section has 8 verses and every verse in a section begins with the corresponding Hebrews letter; thus in the Hebrew every verse in the first section begins with ALEPH, in the second section BETH and so on. Apparently, the author felt this was a convenient way of studying God's Word properly. I will endeavour to go through the whole Psalm, which will cover roughly around 22 days. The titles for each section are based primarily on FW Grant's notes.

As we are committed to the Lord and, live a sin free life to the best of our ability, we are classed by the Lord as undefiled in the way we live and, we are blessed. As we keep His Word and seek Him with all that we have (wholeheartedness), we can be sure that He is pleased with us. The blessed or happy person is the one whose life is conformed to the Word of God. Even if we sin - which we know that we will do - He has given us provision in His Word to be able to confess this sin to Him and, we are kept in this wonderful state of being undefiled.

God knows us through and through; He knows that some days it can be impossible to remain sinless. We are easily led to distraction if we are not careful and when we are, we feel awful because we have let God down. However, He sees us through the eyes of faith; He sees the finished product and as we say we are sorry, He sees no wrong in us, so much so, He refuses to remember our past. If we have confessed to Him, He is 100% faithful and just and totally forgives us (1John 1:9). 

Therefore, we need to live wholeheartedly for Him, which I know is difficult to do, but if we ask Him He is only too pleased to help us to accomplish this. We probably will not be perfect until we are standing before Him. To Him we are already, but our flesh won't allow us to believe and live this way. So ask Him to help you to live sold out for Jesus.

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now

Lord Jesus, I have sinned. I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today. In Jesus' Name. Amen
dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers
Why not order my Daily Commentary from Amazon - Paperback or Kindle Check it out. Just tap on Grahame Howard books.

If you would like to contact me email grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Copyright 2025 Grahame Howard.