You know, every true believer in Jesus Christ really knows and believes that the Bible is the Word of God. That is one of the marks of being a Christian. And why? Jesus said in John chapter 10, he said, my sheep hear my voice and they follow me. His sheep hear and they know his voice. Our Lord also said in John chapter 7 verses 16 and 17, My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me. If anyone is willing to do his will, he will know of the teaching, whether it's of God or whether I speak for myself. In other words, what our Lord is saying is those who are committed to doing God's will, those who are committed to obeying Him, which all believers are, they will innately, Intuitively, know that the Bible is His Word by the indwelling Holy Spirit affirming its authenticity. So there's no question that true Christians accept the Bible as God's Word. However, The question is, how much confidence do they have in it? Not whether they believe it or not. They believe it, but how much confidence do they have in it? Will they build their lives upon it? Will they live by every word, as Jesus said, that proceeds out of the mouth of God? So, the question is, how much confidence do you have in the Bible? enough to strive to live by all of its precepts? Or do you pick and choose those truths that you're comfortable with, or those that are not too demanding? So I told you last week, early in my Christian life, I came to the conviction that the Bible was not only God's word, but that it demanded my total allegiance, my total loyalty, because it was God's voice in written form. And therefore, I understood that it was absolutely authoritative. And having come to these convictions about scripture, it wasn't long after I was saved that I realized my entire Christian life was inseparably linked, tied, connected to my attitude and my relationship with the Bible. Dr. Peter Masters is probably a name that not many of us are familiar with but he is the current pastor of Metropolitan Tabernacle in London. And that's the church where Charles Spurgeon actually ministered. And in his theology, Dr. Masters is very close to Charles Spurgeon. He's a good man. He's written a very fascinating book entitled, Faith, Doubts, Trials, and Assurance. He opens his book with this statement about the faith of believers in Christ. Here's what he says. To possess only a small degree of faith is a major catastrophe for Christian believers. Because faith is central and crucial to the spiritual life and the key to proving the Lord. He says, what a sad situation it is when our faith must be described by our Savior as little faith, a feeble, shriveled, diminutive trust in Him. Once we are saved, we cannot lose our salvation. We shall certainly miss the full enjoyment and power of salvation if our faith is withered through not being exercised. Now, this morning, as we once again turn our attention to Psalm 119, we want to learn from the psalmist how to have great faith, how to have strong faith, because he was a man who demonstrated in and exercise great confidence in God's word and he serves as an example for us to follow. Throughout this lengthy psalm, this man tells us time and again about how much he loves the Word, his delight for the Word. However, when he comes to the 12th stanza, where we are currently at, he tells us why he loves and why he delights in God's Word. And in particular, he tells us why he was so confident in the Word of God. See, having revealed to us in the previous verses that the stanza before us his feelings of being abandoned and forsaken by God, now he tells us why he was firmly fixed on God's Word in spite of his terrible and unstable circumstances. and why he chooses to build his life on the Bible in spite of the fact that his persecutors were actually threatening to snuff out his life. He tells us why he anchored his soul to the rock of Scripture rather than to the current ideologies of his day. So if you want your confidence in Scripture to be strengthened, if you struggle with doubts, struggle with concerns over the trustworthiness of the Bible, Or if you just need some encouragement to apply and believe the Bible and apply it to all of the various situations that you face, then listen closely today to what the psalmist has to say about the Bible. Because as you'll recall from last week's study, in this twelfth stanza, the psalmist not only tells us about his absolute confidence in the trustworthiness of Scripture, but folks, what he does is he actually gives us a number of reasons as to why he had such confidence, why he had such unwavering trust in God's Word. The first reason being this, because the Word of God never changes. Verse 89, Forever, O Lord, your Word is settled. in heaven. As we discovered last week, this is one of those great statements in scripture. It's a statement that powerfully pronounces the unchangeable nature of God's Word. The psalmist asserts, notice, two things about God's Word. One, he tells us that God's Word is forever. It means it continues forever. It'll never come to an end. Number two, he tells us that it is settled, meaning that it is fixed. It is immovable. It is permanent. It is unalterably secure so that it will never be modified. It will never be revised. It will never be rescinded by anyone. And the reason it can't be changed by anyone is because it's out of the reach of everyone. He says that it is settled in heaven. And what he means by this is since God resides in heaven, therefore his word which comes from him resides there too. And no one can ever reach into heaven to change it. And to illustrate the unchangeable nature of the Word, the psalmist mentions that the words that God uttered long ago, many years ago at the creation, they continue to be in effect in His day and they're in effect in our day. Because all the laws, all the ordinances that He established back then, He tells us they are His servants. They must obey Him. Therefore, they have to do what he says. Notice verses 90 and 91. Your faithfulness continues throughout all generations. You establish the earth, and it stands. He means it stands today. They stand. And he's talking about now all the laws, the ordinances, God's commands. They stand this day according to your ordinances, for all things are your servants. Now, I know that we covered this at length last week, but I want to just stop here for a few minutes to consider the significance of what the psalmist is actually telling us about the Bible, because what he has to say to us about its unchangeable nature is so practical and so very relevant for us. As you know, we live in a day in which changes are happening so quickly, it's hard to keep up with all the changes. Who would have thought a few years ago that our nation, our culture, would shift so quickly from the common sense values that have governed its existence for over 200 years? Who would have envisioned that today we would be in the throes of undergoing such drastic movements away from the very principles that have been the foundation for our country? Like changes in the way society now views gender identification. Who would have thought that just a few years ago? sexuality, marriage, the rules of law and order. It's just to mention a few of the more prominent alterations that we've seen in the last few years. We've never seen such a different presidential election like this one. We've never seen such a lack of respect for police or the American flag as we have today. We've never seen such a disregard for the value of human life as we have over the last few months. And I'm afraid this is only the tip of the iceberg. It's only going to get worse. More upheavals are on the way. Marriage will likely be even more redefined to the point where there will be no definition of what constitutes a marriage. Christians, no doubt, are headed for severe persecution like we have never seen in our country before, as we will be accused of hate crimes just for standing for the truths of Scripture. And there will be even more violence and more of a disregard for human life, especially in relation to the aged, who no longer are productive as far as society is concerned. So, we're going through some very turbulent waters and it's only going to get worse. And the reason it is only going to get worse is because society will continue to reject and move further away from God's truth. A number of years ago, I came across a quote. I'm not even sure who it's attributed to, but this quote sums up why people tend to gravitate to believing nonsense when the truth is so clear and apparent. Here's the quote. When we lack the will to see things as they really are, there is nothing so mysterious as the obvious. Let me say that again. When we lack the will to see things as they really are, there is nothing so mysterious as the obvious. The values that once were so clear to most, most in our country, in our culture too, they're gone. Never to return because from the foundation up, everything has changed. Everything that is, except the one thing that will never change, and that's the Word of God. You see, in a world that has gone mad with change, the only thing you can really count on never to change is the Bible. Why? Because God's Word is forever settled in heaven, and no one can ever change it. What God has said yesterday, He still says today, and He will still say tomorrow. His Word is unalterable. His standards of morality and integrity and justice and compassion are not subject to the whims of society. What was immoral and unjust thousands of years ago is immoral and unjust today. What was right and wrong in the past is still right and wrong today, regardless of society's inability to admit the obvious. Listen, if you find yourself feeling very insecure with all of the changes that are going on these days, then rest in the word of God, because it will never change. Jesus said heaven and earth will pass away, but my word will never pass away. So if you're looking for something to anchor your soul to, something that will not drift away in the currents of modern thinking, then anchor your soul to the word of God, because it will never be revised, to adjust to man's sinful thinking. It will be and is hated and despised and opposed by many, but it will never cave in to anyone's sinful desires. It will continue to stand firm against the tide of popular opinion. It is changeless because it is forever fixed in heaven. So why did the psalmist have so much confidence in God's word and why should you and I have so much confidence in his word? Because the word never changes. Secondly, as we saw last week, the psalmist tells us that he was confident in the Bible because, as he thought back on his life, he knew that the Word of God had sustained him in his affliction. Notice what he says in verse 92. If your law had not been my delight, then I would have perished in my affliction. After telling us that God's changeless Word is what preserves and what sustains everything in the universe, he now tells us that it was the Word The same word that personally preserved and sustained him during his times of grief. He says that if God's word had not been his delight, he would have perished under the weight of his affliction. And by his affliction, he means the horrific persecution that he was undergoing at the hands of these Gentile princes who wanted him dead. See, what he's telling us is that it was only his love for Scripture that kept him from being crushed under the weight of despair. Because it was the Word that enabled him to maintain his sanity in the midst of all the cruel things set against him, as well as the ongoing threats against his life. See, it was the Word of God that gave him hope. It gave him comfort. It gave him encouragement. It gave him something to hold on to when everything else around him seemed to be falling apart. Otherwise, he said, I would have perished. And apparently what he means by this is that if it wasn't for God's word sustaining him, he would have just caved in. He would have given up emotionally and mentally and then just died of a broken heart. Now notice, look at the verse again. Notice what this man is telling us. He's telling us that this has been his experience. This is not theory. This is his personal experience. This is fact based on what he personally has gone through. Looking back at all that he's gone through, his testimony is that it was God's Word that sustained him, nothing else. And the reason he didn't look to anything else to preserve him is because nothing else, he knows, can be depended on. Since every other philosophy and ideology originates, note this, from man and therefore It comes from man's rebellious heart. The Bible calls it foolishness. The wisdom of this world is foolishness. See, Scripture tells us specifically in Romans chapter 1 that when in our rebellion against our Creator, when man rebels against his Creator, man turns from the light of God's revelation. And what happens then is they drift into the darkness of their own vain and foolish Imaginations. Let me read to you, starting at verse 18, some verses at the end of Romans, going to verse 23. This is what happens when man turns away from the light, he moves into darkness. Paul writes, for the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who, notice what they do, they suppress the truth in unrighteousness. They have the truth, they hold it down. They suppress it. Because that which is known about God is evident within them. He means all around them. He's talking about nature, creation. For God has made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world, his invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so they are without excuse. You can look at the stars at night and understand that there is a creator who made them. For even though they knew God, and what Paul means by this is even though they knew about God from creation, they could see His power. They could see orderliness. Even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks. But they became, watch this, futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. Now, what Paul is telling us is that when men refuse to humble themselves and glorify God and worship their Creator, they suppress His truth. And in its place, they have to have something to believe. If you suppress the truth, then you're going to invent your own futile, speculative philosophies. In other words, he's saying when they turn from God's light, they fall into darkness, and out of the darkness comes all kinds of crazy thinking. Is that not our world? And although unbelievers may gravitate to that kind of thinking, it never sustains them. It never gives them true and lasting and real peace. It never gives them guidance through the crises of life. But the psalmist knew better. He tells us he delighted in the Bible and he then experienced its power to sustain him in the darkest days folks the Bible do the same thing for you that it did for him regardless of the nature of Your crisis or your trial it will sustain you under the most severe circumstances but you have to delight in it as he did you have to delight and love the word as He did for this to become a reality for you, so love the word Love it, and it'll sustain you now today as we continue our study of of this 12th stanza. We move into the third reason that the psalmist gives us for why he was so confident in God's Word. He tells us that not only is the Word of God changeless, not only did it sustain him, but, note this, the Word of God revived him. It revived him. Verse 93, I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have revived me. Having just said that it was God's Word that kept him from physically dying under the weight of affliction, now he tells us that he will never forget God's Word because it was His Word that God used to spiritually revive him. So what does he mean by this? Well, essentially, he means that God used His Word to breathe new life into him. He was already a believer. new life into him, it renewed him, it strengthened him, it gave him new energy, it gave him some power to his soul. When he was down, when he was depressed, it was some specific truth in scripture that lifted his spirit and renewed his heart and mind. In this experience of being revived by the word, he tells us it made such a lasting impression on him that he says at the beginning of this verse, notice, I will never forget your precepts. See, what he's telling us is that the reason he will never forget God's Word, he'll never move away from it, he'll never forsake it, is because he has experienced the power of the Word to revive his sagging heart and to lift his spirits. So why would he ever forget something as wonderful as this? Of course not. Why would he ever move away from the Bible for something else to believe in when he has tasted the power of the Word to energize his soul because nothing else can ever do that. Spurgeon has a great statement on the lasting impression of an experience like this that it has on a believer. Spurgeon said, when we have felt the quickening power of a precept, we can never forget it. We may read it learn it, repeat it, and think we have it, and yet it may slip out of our minds, but if it has once given us life or renewed that life, there is no fear of its falling from our recollection. Listen, one of the reasons you can have confidence in the Word of God is because only the Word has the power to renew your heart when it's down. Everything else is sinking sand. Everything else is just man's opinion. Think back to a time in your life when When you felt so low and you were hurting, when God used a truth, a verse from his word to lift your spirits and give you renewed strength and renewed energy. I was thinking about it this week. I can recall a very difficult time in my ministry when prior to becoming pastor here at Lakeside, I was the interim pastor. Just a young guy trying to hold things together, not doing a great job of it, and things were not going well. In fact, it got so bad that one day I actually resigned. But soon after I told the elders of my resignation, I was I was home reading the word feeling so down and wondering what in the world am I going to do now? And I was at home reading, and I came across John chapter 10. I'm not sure why I turned to John chapter 10. But here's what I read, and I have never forgotten this. I can't read John chapter 10 and these words without thinking back to that day and how the word revived me. Here's what Jesus said. I'm the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who's not the owner of the sheep, he sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees. And the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he's a hired hand. He's not concerned about the sheep. Now, I understand this is talking about our Lord, not me. I understand that. But as I read these words and I thought of being a shepherd, a shepherd to the flock at Lakeside, I remember thinking and saying to the Lord, I am not a hired hand. I care about these sheep. And this, you know what? This is what renewed my spirit. This is what revived my heart. This is what caused me to take back my resignation. Because these words reminded me, I was not a hired hand. And if need be, not like in the case of our Lord laying his life down, but if need be, I would lay my life down for the sheep. So I can never read these verses without thinking back to that day. I can visualize it, I can see it in my mind, and I will never forget these precepts. Now, like the psalmist, I say, I'll never forget your word, for by them you have revived me. And there have been many other times in my life, and I'm sure in yours, that God has used his word to renew are drooping spirits. And he'll do the same. He's done it in the past. He'll do it for you again. In fact, I'm sure that many of you, as I said, can think times in your past when some verse of Scripture just strengthened you. It just gripped your heart. It renewed you. It revived you. And that's why you can have so much confidence in the Word of God, because you've already experienced the power of the Word. Think back. You know it. You're certain. It happened in the past, it will happen again in the future. A wise man once told me many years ago when I was a young pastor, he said, Steve, there is no substitute for the Word of God. He was absolutely right. There is no substitute for the Word of God. So far the psalmist has told us three reasons why he was so confident in God's Word. So confident that he built his life upon it. It never changes. It sustains him. in his affliction. It revived him when he was weak. Now in the next couple of verses, he gives us a fourth reason for having such confidence in the Bible. He tells us that God's word enabled him to live above distractions. It's a great truth. Verse 94 says, I'm yours, save me, for I have sought your precepts. He says in verse 95, the wicked wait for me to destroy me. I shall diligently consider your testimonies. Now, even though this man had experienced God's sustaining grace and the reviving power of the word, his life is still in danger. He's not out of the woods. Because he's still surrounded, he tells us, by those who want to kill him. And that's why he cries out to God, I'm yours, save me. In other words, he's affirming that he belongs to the Lord. He's a child of God. He's one of the Lords. Therefore, as one who belongs to him, he's looking for God to rescue him, save me. He's not talking about save my soul, save me physically, because that's what God does. By his loving grace, he takes care of his own, unless it's time for them to die. And then he'll give them grace to die. But he's saying, save me, Lord, rescue me. But notice what this man says immediately after claiming that he belongs to the Lord. He says, for I have sought your precepts. In other words, the proof that he belongs to the Lord, the proof that he's really a child of God, is that he pursues God's Word. See, one of the most telling marks of a true Christian is that he seeks the Word of God. He doesn't seek the Word of God just to fill his head with information and Bible facts. He seeks it to obey it. In fact, the Bible says that it is our desire to obey the Word of God that gives us the assurance, one of the areas that gives us assurance that we really have come to know the Lord. First John chapter 2 verse 3 says this, by this we know, notice that certainty, by this we know that we have come to know Him if we keep His commandments. Now let me explain. He is not talking about perfect obedience. If that were true, none of us could ever have assurance. There's only one who perfectly obeyed, and that's Jesus. This word keep, as in keep His commandments, it's not referring to keeping it perfectly. The Greek word here means this desire to obey. It's an attitude of watchfulness, on the alert, so that one is always looking to obey what Scripture says. One is always searching it, looking, desiring to obey the Word. Even when you're disobedient, inwardly there is a desire to obey. We're sort of like in Romans 7 with Paul. The things that I want to do, I don't do. I don't know why I disobey, but I desire to obey. That's the mark of a believer. Listen, don't let your struggles with sin and the battles that you may have lost to sin and temptation rob you of the assurance of your salvation. What assures you that you are a child of God is You can say there is a desire within you to obey. Your aim in life is to do what the Lord says. Your assurance is not based on your actual performance of obedience. Although if you are a true child of God, there will be some, in fact, there will be a lot of obedience. It ought to be the general direction of your life, even if it's not perfect obedience. But it's your desire to obey God's word that should give you assurance of salvation. Why? Because no unsaved rebel ever desired to obey God's word. So as we go back to Psalm 119, we see the psalmist is asking God to save him. And he articulates in verse 95 why he is in need of saving. He says, the wicked wait for me to destroy me. These evil men who have been persecuting him, who he tells us back in verse 85 that they had dug a pit for him. They want to kill him and throw him in that pit. They're still doing that. They're just waiting for the right moment to pounce on him, murder him, throw him in the pit. Now, I want us to stop for a moment and think. This man has been telling us why his confidence is in God's Word. Why his life is built upon Scripture and nothing else. So the question is this that we have to ask ourselves. What does this have to do, these evil men waiting to kill him, what does that have to do with why he or any of us should trust the word of God? What's the connection? Well, he tells us why, the last part of verse 95. I shall diligently consider your testimonies. What he's telling us here is that even though these malicious men were waiting to kill him, he wasn't going to let the threat of death be his focus. He wasn't going to let fear control him. He wasn't going to let these evil men upset his peace and calmness of heart. Instead, he was going to diligently pursue God's Word. See, what he's telling us is that it was the Word of God that enabled him to stay calm, to live above the distraction, even though his life was under threat. Imagine if every day you woke up, you didn't know if it was going to be your last day because people wanted to murder you. But this man says, God's word, the pursuit of it, kept him living above distraction. And God's word will do the same for you. All of us live with things that are very easy to worry about. Problems with marriage, our children, health problems, problems with finances, problems with our jobs, all kinds of things going on in life. So how do you stay upbeat and calm when you have all of these problems? How do you keep them from becoming distractions that prevent you from experiencing God's peace in the midst of storms? Well there's only one way. The psalmist tells us. He's telling us that way. It's by considering, by thinking about, by pondering the Word of God. It's only as you keep your mind on the Word that you will be able to navigate your way through life with a calm heart. I love Isaiah 26, 3. You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. What a great truth. So if you find yourself being stressed these days, then spend time in the Word. Let the power of the Word free you from the distractions of life. Now as we come to the final verse of this twelfth stanza, the psalmist has one more reason, a fifth reason, a profound reason to tell us why his confidence is in the Word of God. It's this. He tells us the Word of God is infinite. Infinite. Notice verse 96. I've seen a limit to all perfection. Your commandments is exceedingly broad. And with this closing verse, the psalmist, what he does is he gives us, this is a summary statement. It's a summary statement concerning why God's word is so special and why he has so much confidence in it. He just sort of sums it all up. In making this summary statement, he reiterates what he said in the opening verse of this stanza. He said, forever, O Lord, your word is settled in heaven. Only now, notice, he makes this point by way of a contrast between the things of this world and the word of God. He says, I have seen a limit to all perfection. What does he mean by this? What he means is that everything that he has observed on earth, he says, I have seen this. He has observed these things. Everything I've observed on earth, all of it comes to an end. Everything is limited. Everything is temporary. Everything has its day in the sun and then it's over. In other words, he's saying that everything on earth that he has observed, all of it has limits because they all come to a dead end. But, he says, by contrast, Your commandments, and he means not just one commandment, but the entirety of your word, is exceedingly broad. That is to say, while everything on earth is temporary and comes to an end, God's word continues and it is limitless. It is infinite. It is endless. It is unbounded. In other words, the word of God is so broad that it lives forever and never comes to an end. This is precisely what Jesus said. I've said this before, Matthew 24, 35, heaven and earth will pass away. There will come a day which God will reconstruct the heavens and the earth. Even though now they stand at his word, but there's coming a day when heaven and earth will pass away. Jesus said, but my words will not pass away. Everything in this world is finite. Everything is going to come to an end, but God's word is infinite. It will never come to an end. As the psalmist said in his opening verse, you can count on the word of God because it never changes and it is forever. Folks, that's why we have to put our confidence in scripture because everything else, all the philosophies of this world, all the attractive so-called modern and progressive thinking of this world, all the wisdom of this world will have its time of popularity and then it will die out. It's all trendy. That's it. And if you're putting your trust in those passing beliefs and those viewpoints, you are going to be extremely disappointed at the end of your life because they are all sinking sand. They're just quicksand. They'll suck you in. They'll never support you. Never support you when you need them most. And that's a death. Because you're going to die and stand before a God who's perfectly holy and just. And those philosophies will not help you. See, when the psalmist says that he's seen a limit to all the things on earth, you know what? He includes us, human beings. Because all of us are going to come to the end of our lives. If God graciously lets you live many years, you're still going to get old and you're going to die. The apostle Peter makes this very point when he says in 1 Peter 1.24, all flesh, is like grass, and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers and the flower falls off. And then Peter says the same thing about God's Word that the psalmist said. He goes on in verse 25, he says, but the Word of the Lord endures forever, and this is the Word that was preached to you. Unlike aging flesh, God's Word never ages. It endures forever. And it has a message that affects your life for all of eternity. And what is that message? Peter says it's the word that was preached to you. It's the gospel of Jesus Christ. the message of salvation. See, unlike any belief system that the world has to offer, the gospel message has the power to save your soul for all of eternity. Not only is it eternal, it is the power to save you for all of eternity because it is the message of the eternal God who came to earth in the person of Jesus Christ in order to live a perfect life in full obedience to God's commandments, and then to die for the sins of sinners like us, so that in perfect obedience to the law, sin was punished. That's what the law said. Sin has to be punished. It was in Christ. In other words, Jesus Christ was judged in the place of sinners, so that those who repent, turn from their sin, turn to Christ, trust Him as their Savior, they receive God's eternal forgiveness. So I urge you, if you've never received Christ, receive Him today. You don't know if you're ever going to hear the word again. You don't know that. Put your trust in Christ. You can believe His Word when He says, He who comes to me I will never cast out. You can believe that. Come to Christ. Trust Him as your Savior, as your Lord. You'll never regret that. Now, if you already are a believer, then make sure that every area of your life, examine your heart. Is there an area of your life that is not based on His Word? Base it on His Word, because the Word never changes. It will sustain you in your affliction. It will revive you when you are down. It will enable you to live above the distractions of life. And it is infinite with a message that saves you forever. There really is no substitute for the Word of God. Let's bow for prayer. Once again, I say, if you have never trusted Christ, There is no better time than this. The Bible says today is the day of salvation. If God has convicted you of sin, if you know you're a sinner, and you know that you have no other hope in this world than Christ, then turn to Him. Turn to Him. Trust Him. He invites you, He said, all who are weary, And heavy laden come to me. I'll give you a rest for your souls and what he means is not simply He'll give you a better life, but he'll save you He'll rescue you from sin He'll forgive you he'll put his righteousness on your account He'll transform your character, but you have to come to come if you know Christ ask the Lord to give you a great love for his word great confidence for his word and Don't focus on the doubts. Don't focus on the things you don't know. Focus on what you do know and trust Him. His Word is so precious. Father, thank you for letting us study what the psalmist has experienced and what he knew in his own life. May we know that, Lord. May our confidence, those of us who know you, may our confidence be greater than ever in the Word of God. Lord, we pray that you'll help us to turn to scripture when our hearts are down and to know the reviving power of the word. Help us to know that your word will energize us when we feel like giving up at times. Lord, help us to meditate on Your Word so that we're not distracted by all the things that can upset us in life. We all have things we're going to face tomorrow as we go back to work or school. Help us to remember Your Word, that even when life seems to be falling apart all around us, pondering Your Word is what gets us through. And not just gets us through, but sustains and strengthens us and helps us to live above all of the phrase of life. And Lord, thank you that your word is exceedingly broad. It will never end, though everything else in this world is sinking sand. Lord, I pray that you'll help us to make sure that our hope, our confidence is in your word, not in man's opinions. May our study today have given us greater trust, greater confidence in your word. This we pray. in Jesus' name, Amen.