If I am focused on the bigger picture, if I see the lofty and meditate on the eternal, if I love what God loves, then it seems as if the various pieces of my life fit together more smoothly. This is true emotionally and physically, as well as spiritually. Physically, I can celebrate life with food one day, but can still focus on my long-term goal of being healthy. Emotionally, I can have a low day but remember that they don’t last forever. Peace, in every aspect of our lives, can be maintained by keeping our eyes on the eternal prize.
Psalm 119:165 breaks down one technique simply: “Great peace have they which love Your law: and nothing shall offend them. Expanded with definitions, it sounds like this, “Great (much, abundant, strong) peace (tranquility, contentment, soundness) have they which love (have affection for like a friend) Your law (precepts, directions, instructions): and nothing shall offend (trip, stumble) them.” Loving God’s teachings, delving into them regularly, can help us focus on the eternal, bigger picture of life and cause us to maintain our tranquility and contentment. This helps us not to trip over life’s little annoyances or fall in those bigger battles in life.
Since my childhood and my acquaintance with God and His Word at the age of six, I’ve had a lifetime of practicing this verse. From being often teased as a child for being a goodie-goodie, to being lonely as a teen for not being sexually active, to being hospitalized three times for psychoses, I got to apply my love for God’s Word to my circumstances. Instead of losing my tranquility to my surroundings, those events became interpreted by the bigger picture displayed by God in His Word. Focusing on His Word became my source of soundness and security.
May we make God’s Word a daily habit, gaining strength from its truths to combat those small irritations and overcome those larger life challenges. Practice reading through the Psalms for perspective. Get to know Jesus better in the gospel of John. Look to the beauty of our eternal future in the writings of Paul. Loving God’s Word is a strategy for peace no matter our circumstances.
