Back to Life

“The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.” (Psalm 19:7 NIV)

The dictionary defines the term revive as “to bring back to consciousness or life; active flourishing again.” Good definition. The Message renders our text this way: “The revelation of God is whole and pulls our lives together. The signposts of God are clear and point out the right road.”

I chuckle inwardly when people sometimes tell me that as a pastor I don’t have a clue as to what real life is like. Such people think we pastors live in ivory towers from whence we pontificate over problems we’ve never seen or experienced. In actual fact I see more broken lives in a week than many will see in a lifetime. I hear stories that would break even the stoutest heart, intervene in crises (not a misspelling the plural of crisis) sometimes on a daily basis multiple times, visit more hospitals, see more deaths (and have to comfort those left with a careful compassion lest I add to their already hurting hearts), and am sought for more advice covering a wider range of topics than any other profession. Next time you are tempted to think your pastor doesn’t have a clue about what real life is like, think about these things.

I write these things to you not to elicit from you an emotional response (I am not looking for someone to play the violin while I hold a pity party), no! I write this to you as one who knows from experience that God’s Word has the perfect answer for every need: it “pulls our lives together.”

God’s Word brings back to our heart and soul life and not just life but an active flourishing one. And this Word that brings life is trustworthy–that is, you can count on everything it says being true. What God has promised will come to fruition! (But we must make sure that the promise we have been counting upon is from God. I find many people in Christianity discouraged because they misunderstood or misappropriated a “promise” and when it didn’t happen the way they wanted it to they became angry and bitter toward God feeling that His promises someone are not true. Not so. His promises are absolutely true.)

Need a jump-start today? Have the batteries in life’s car been drained and all you get when you turn the key is a useless sound of a failed start that almost mocks you. I have the answer: plug into God’s word and find revival for your drained (perhaps dead) soul.