The Bible contains almost innumerable Names, Titles and Descriptions of our great God! And rightly so.

Books, many of which had to be published in multi-volume sets, have been written about Him!

By “Him” I mean the “Godhead;” the Father and Son and Holy Spirit. Each “Person” of the Divine Trinity is ineffable in depth of Character, in Essence, in His Being.

But astonishingly … late last night I think I may have found a fresh Title for our Lord!

I was reading Psalm 43 and this Phrase arrested my attention. The Psalmist literally called God “my exceeding joy!”

The whole Verse, Psalm 43:4 … “Then will I go unto the altar of God, UNTO GOD MY EXCEEDING JOY: yea, upon the harp will I praise thee, O God my God.”

(I think this precise wording, “my exceeding joy,” allows for other “joys” to be in one’s life. The joy of companionship with that best friend. The joy of a good meal with family. The joy of life, in its purest sense, itself. Now add a hundred more legitimate joys to the list, if you wish.)

But after everything else … let God be your EXCEEDING Joy!

The noun “joy” in our Text is spelled “giyl.” It means being so happy, delighted that a person “spins round and round!” It’s quite emotional, in that sense anyway!

And the adjective “exceeding” is “simchah,” which suggests “gladness, mirth, pleasure,” even “gaiety” says one Lexicon.

The Verse nearly says … GOD IS MY JOY JOY!  In Hebrew grammar doubling a term powerfully enhances the force of said word or words!

Now … it’s “test” time!

Do I, do you?

Do we live day by day in the reality that God is our exceeding Joy?

Is He the absolute Pinnacle of my emotional and volitional and intellectual life?

Paul said one day, “For me to live is Christ!”

That sounds a lot like Jesus was the Apostles “exceeding Joy!”

Derive joy from any (proper) place you choose, any (decent) source you can. After all … it is a sad, sinful world.

But reserve the Apex of you “joy” for the dear Lord!

If God is indeed our exceeding Joy … we will undoubtedly spend lots of time at an altar, and the remainder of time praising the Source of our joy … the Lord Himself. As our Text indicated … “Then will I go unto the altar of God, UNTO GOD MY EXCEEDING JOY: yea, upon the harp will I praise thee, O God my God.”

Are we passing this “exceeding joy” test?

I sure want to do so.

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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“O my God, my soul is cast down within me.” So prayed the Psalmist unto the Lord! I’ve just quoted Psalm 42:6, from our King James Version.

The very idea!

Actually telling the Lord God Almighty that you are “down, despondent, depressed, at the end-of-your rope?”

Shocking!

Jonah the Prophet was that way one day, and he sure told the Lord about it! Well, maybe instead of being “cast down,” Jonah was simply red-hot angry! “But it (what God had done, sparing the Assyrians) displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry. And he prayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray thee, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country?” Quite frustrated with God, upset … and not hiding it either! (Jonah 4:1-2)

How about Elijah? “He arose, and went (ran) for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there. But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life.” Cast down, no doubt … maybe even suicidal! Yet he is telling God just how he feels! (From 1 Kings 19:3-4)

Jeremiah? Actually he was about to quit on God. “O LORD, thou hast deceived me, and I was deceived: thou art stronger than I, and hast prevailed: I am in derision daily, every one mocketh me.” Jeremiah 20:7, pretty “down!” Yet (again) letting God know exactly how he was feeling!

And in the New Testament, John the Baptist. He, abnormally discouraged, asked this question (through his followers because John was in prison at the time) … “Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?” The man who preached, upon seeing Jesus the first time …“Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” Now depressed, confused, hurting … and yet telling Jesus all about it!

All I am saying today, if that crowd of giants can be honest with the Lord … why can’t we?

Tell Him, folks!

Tell Him right now!

He understands!

Pray sincerely, openly … like the Psalm writer … “O my God, my soul is cast down within me.”

Yes, Jesus cares!

“Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” Peter meant that, 1 Peter 5:7, he had practiced it as well!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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Isaiah 28 is an amazing chapter of Scripture, and there the Prophet is being mocked for his preaching, his method of teaching God’s Word.

“But the word of the LORD was unto them (people mocking Isaiah) precept upon precept, precept upon precept; LINE UPON LINE, LINE UPON LINE; here a little, and there a little.” Isaiah 28:13

That Phrase has arrested my attention this morning. “Line upon Line!” It impresses upon my mind once again the sheer Power of a few words from the Bible.

Now I am going to give you one Example of such a “Line,” used by Jesus to further teach His Disciples.

Psalm 41:9 … “Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me.”

David, the Psalm’s human author is applying this sad situation (being betrayed by a trusted ally) to his own life.

But now watch Jesus take the verse from David and situate it in His Own Circumstance … “I speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen: but that the scripture may be fulfilled, HE THAT EATETH BREAD WITH ME HATH LIFTED UP HIS HEEL AGAINST ME.” John 13:18, when Jesus was washing His Disciples’ feet. Jesus of course was speaking of Judas!

One Line from Psalm 41 … becomes One Line upon Jesus’ Lips!

Here’s another time … “For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up; and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me.” Psalm 69:9

The Disciples, now pondering that Line as Jesus cleansed the Temple … “And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.” John 2:17

Yes, the POWER of a single Line of the Bible!

I think dozens and dozens of examples could be presented of this “Line Power” of Scripture!

Now, coming down through the years to our lives (in the year 2021 as I write this Article) … do I properly appropriate this marvelous method of Bible Study, of Bible applcation?

Do you?

I plan to grab a LINE of Scripture this morning and reflect on it all day long, intermittently at least. Mine is going to be from 1st John chapter 4, the Text I shall next be teaching in our Evening Meditations.

Wow! I am so thankful the Lord gave me this thought today.

“Line upon Line!”

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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We all would agree that prayer, among many other things, must be humble and reverent, respecting God for All He is!

Why, Psalm 10:17 proves this: “LORD, thou hast heard the desire of the humble.”

And Isaiah 66:2 has God saying: “But to this man will I look (pay attention to), even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.”

Yet the Bible also teaches us … “To come boldly before the Throne of Grace!” Quoting Hebrews 4:16, in part. Where “boldly” (Greek “parrhesia”) means “telling it all,” letting God know the true thoughts of your heat, including your fears and worries and hidden sins.

And if we can cast “all our cares” on Jesus, surely that allows us some latitude in prayer! (See 1 Petr 5:7.)

The Old Testament Psalmists sure were bold, at least at times. “How long wilt thou forget me, O LORD? for ever? how long wilt thou hide thy face from me? How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? how long shall mine enemy be exalted over me?” David in Psalm 13:1-2.

Yes, that’s pretty stern!

Still when praying, keep it reverent, full of faith!

Yet in Psalm 40:13 David prays: “O LORD, make haste to help me.”

This prayer by David (a man after God’s Own Heart) seems to be saying, “Hurry up dear Lord!”

“Make haste!”

Did you ever need God … right then?

You couldn’t wait?

Did you ever ask (hopefully very carefully) Him to act speedily?

That’s what the Psalmist is here doing!

Isn’t this idea pretty much parallel with Revelation 22:20 … “Even so, Come Lord Jesus!”

I take this line of praying to mean, to teach us … to be humble … and to be bold.

Think about it.

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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Psalm 39 houses the Text I’d like to share with you this morning. Verse 3 of that inspired Hymn speaks: “My heart was hot within me, while I was musing the fire burned: then spake I with my tongue.”

Spiritual principles galore spring from this complex sentence!

The “heart” in Hebrew (spelled “leb”) speaks of a person’s “inner life.” Where one “thinks,” more than where one “feels” really. The verb “was hot” literally means “enflamed,” or “on fire for God” in today’s vernacular anyway.

One’s heart is made “hot” by the fluttering of the Holy Spirit and by the empowering, fervent impact of God’s Word … when observed and pondered day and night.

Note that a “hot” heart, not a “lukewarm” one, also “muses” over the things of God! This rare verb (only found 2 times in the whole Old Testament) once means “to meditate.”

Yes, such treasuring of God’s Word within one’s heart will set it “afire!” Jeremiah had it “burning even within his bones!”

The Psalmist is like a old country kettle set on a roaring gas burner, about ready to explode with fervency for God!

Then … when he can contain it no longer … he “speaks!” Bot he did not even open his mouth until he was ready! The verb is “dabar,” to speak with logic and forethought and preparation! Not to simply “blab!”

Fellows, do not preach if your heart is not ablaze!

When Paul wrote young Timothy to “stir up” the gift of God in his life, his calling to preach, the Apostle used this verb, a blend: “anazopureo.” meaning “make the fire stay alive” in you! Yes, “pur” is the Greek word for fire!

Practicing this Verse in Psalm 39 makes speaking for God (preaching, teaching, witnessing) actual “overflow” of the steam engine God has placed within you … as you ingested His Word and Spirit and Love, etc.

Praise the Lord!

“My heart was hot within me, while I was musing the fire burned: then spake I with my tongue.”  (To be practiced, tested in daily life. With great benefit … and great power as one speaks!)

Grant it, dear Lord.

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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