I belong to a WhatsApp group where a medical practitioner gives lecture once a week on practical tips for maximum health. In one of the editions of the lecture that was held mid-June this year, the doctor emphasized the need to have basic routines, doing certain things at specific times. She opined that eating breakfast at different times will not allow the body to settle into a rhythm. The same advice was given regarding to sleep and other issues. Our text points to one of the psalmist’s routines – focus on the judgments of the Lord. Several words are used as synonyms for judgments. They include the testimony of the Lord, the law of the Lord, the statute of the Lord. All these are different ways of referring to the word of the Lord. So when the psalmist speaks of longing for the Lord’s judgments, he was referring to a passionate desire for the word of the Lord.

Finally, the word of God is the path to excelling wisdom. Attention to the word is the only guarantee we have for a sound spiritual health.

God’s word should be an essential part of a believer’s daily life for several reasons. Firstly, it is food for the soul. We understand that kingdom life is not meat and drink, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit; all of which can be derived from the word of God. Again, Jesus taught us that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word which proceeds from God’s mouth. Secondly, the word of God is necessary for spiritual warfare. In Ephesians 6, Paul encouraged believers to put on the whole armour of God. Included in that armour is the word of God which is described as the sword of the Spirit. We are at war! The war is not physical, neither must we presume that the weapon for its execution is physical either. Finally, the word of God is the path to excelling wisdom. Attention to the word is the only guarantee we have for a sound spiritual health.