Preservatives

Psalm 40:11 (KJV) Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O LORD: let thy lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me.

(Proverbs 28 also read)

My first reaction to this verse focused on the word “loving kindness” because this is one of my favorite words in the Bible.  But I noticed there was a second element here that was offered as a preservative.  That second element was “truth”.

I often lament about the fact that we can’t find any truth in the different offerings to us in media, social platforms, books, and magazines, and often even in the pulpit.  What David is telling us here is that God offers us the truth that we need but it’s not found in the public square.  The truth we need to preserve us is found in God himself and is expressed to us in His word.

We often come to the questions in our life and try to interpret what the Bible says through our experiences.  What would be more helpful is if we would come to our experiences in life and try and interpret them through what the Bible says.  What are the real preservatives in life?  Think of the food you eat.  You have the preservatives that in theory keep the food itself fresh.  I’m going rotten but in another sense, the food that we eat is what preserves us and keeps us going.

So?  Partake of the truth.  Get a steady diet of it.  Let it preserve you.