An Introduction to Be Exultant
by Ken Baugh
In 1871, much of the city of Chicago was on fire, hundreds of people died, and four square miles of the city burned to the ground. The Great Chicago Fire was one of the worst disasters in America during the nineteenth century. One Chicago resident, Horatio Spafford, was a good friend of D. L. Moody and a man who lived out his faith. Despite great personal loss in property and assets, Horatio and his wife, Anna, dedicated themselves to helping the people of Chicago who had become impoverished by the fire. After years of hard work helping others recover from their losses, the Spaffords decided to take a well-earned vacation to help Moody during one of his evangelistic crusades in Great Britain.
Anna and their four daughters went on ahead while Horatio planned on joining them in a few days after tending to some unfinished business matters. One night en route, the ship that Anna and the girls were traveling on collided with another ship and sank within minutes. Anna and the girls were thrown into the black waters of the Atlantic Ocean, and only Anna survived. As hard as she tried, she could not save even one of her daughters. Anna was found unconscious, floating on a piece of wreckage. After her rescue, she sent a heartrending telegram to Horatio in Chicago that simply said, “Saved alone.”
Horatio boarded the next ship to Europe to be reunited with his wife. As he was en route, the captain called Horatio to the bridge when they reached the spot where his daughters had drowned. As Horatio stood looking out into the blackness of the sea, heartbroken and no doubt with tears running down his face, with only his faith sustaining him, he penned the words to one of the greatest hymns ever written: “It Is Well with My Soul.”
When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul
Chorus
It is well with my soul,
It is well, it is well with my soul!
My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part, but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
How can a man who has just lost his four little girls praise the Lord? Where does a person get that kind of strength? The answer: by being deeply rooted in the Word of God. Horatio Spafford was a man of the Word, so when tragedy stuck, he could face it with strength and confidence. The centrality of God’s Word plays a critical role in the life of every believer, and this emphasis serves as the Big Idea throughout Psalms 90—150.
David introduced this theme of being rooted in God’s Word in Psalm 1:1–3: “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither” (NIV). If you want to remain steadfast when the storms of life blow your way, you must be planted firmly into the truth of God’s Word.
But here is the question: If God’s Word is so important in my life as a Christian, why is it so hard to read and study the Bible? Let me share with you some results from a survey I gave to my congregation asking them to list for me the barriers that hinder them and others they know from reading the Bible.
The first barrier they shared with me is time. You probably guessed that this was the number one answer as to why people do not read their Bibles. Do you struggle with this one too? I sure do. Here is the truth about time: None of us has enough time to read our Bibles, so we have to make the time. And we make time by adding Bible reading to our daily list of priorities. If you and I believe that reading the Bible is important, we will put it at the top of our list of priorities. I believe the primary reason Bible reading should be a part of your daily routine is because the Bible is the primary tool that God uses to transform the mind.
The apostle Paul said, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Rom. 12:2 NIV). The word transformed comes from the word metamorphosis, which means to be completely changed from the inside out. Just as a caterpillar goes into the cocoon in one form and emerges totally transformed into another—a butterfly—the Bible totally transforms our thinking about life, about suffering, about everything. If you do not make the time to ground yourself into the truth of God’s Word on a regular basis (I recommend daily), you will not be able to stand strong when the storms of life come your way. And to overcome the time barrier to Bible reading, you must decide that it is important and add it to your daily list of priorities.
The second barrier to reading the Bible is unbelief. Many of the people in my congregation noted that people don’t read the Bible because there is so much stuff in it that seems incredible. Well, guess what? Those people are right! Let’s look at a couple of examples. The Bible tells the story of a man named Noah whom God told to build an ark (a huge boat the size of one and a half football fields) and take in two of every kind of animal, bird, and reptile because He was going to send a flood to wipe out every living creature on the earth. That’s a tough pill to swallow. Then you have this guy named Jonah who was supposedly thrown into the sea and swallowed by a big fish, surviving for three days before being barfed up on some beach. Yeah, that really happened. Then you have this nation of people called the Israelites who were taken into slavery by the Egyptians, and God raised up a deliverer for them named Moses who turned his staff into a snake, called down all these plagues—not the least of which was turning the Nile River into blood—and then, if that’s not ridiculous enough, parted the Red Sea so the Israelites could escape Pharaoh’s approaching army. C’mon, that might make for an interesting movie, but how do you expect me to believe that? Do I need to go on?
Does the Bible have incredible, seemingly impossible stories? Of course it does. But so what? Listen, God by definition can do whatever He wants to do, right? He can’t be limited by time, physics, space, or anything else—He created all of that stuff, so how in the world can He be limited by it? So if nothing is impossible for God, then He certainly can pull off things that defy logic and natural explanation and record them in written form, right? Of course He can. The Bible is a supernatural book written by a supernatural God.
Just for fun, do a study sometime on the fulfilled prophesies in the Bible. There are a few hundred of them. Recognize that for even a few of these prophesies to be fulfilled goes against astronomical odds, and yet the Bible maintains 100 percent accuracy. In order to overcome the barrier of unbelief, we need to realize that God is a supernatural God and can easily create supernatural events and record them in a supernatural book.
Finally, the third barrier stated by my congregation was that many people don’t read the Bible because they think it’s boring. Boring? Are you kidding me? The Bible is full of suspense, intrigue, battle scenes, spiritual forces of good and evil, giants, talking animals, people running around naked, mysterious dreams, love stories—and the Bible is full of hope, pointing the way to heaven, providing a sense of peace and perspective about the meaning and purpose of life, and revealing the very nature and character of God. The Bible is the most amazing book ever written.
Theodore Roosevelt said, “A thorough knowledge of the Bible is worth more than a college education.” Abraham Lincoln said, “All the good from the Savior of the world is communicated to us through this book.… All things desirable to men are contained in [the Bible].” Immanuel Kant stated, “The Bible … is the greatest benefit which the human race has ever experienced.” You can say a lot of things about the Bible, but one thing you cannot say is that it’s boring! Just try reading it consistently fifteen minutes a day for seven days and see for yourself.
The Bible plays the primary role in transforming the mind of every believer, and it is able to do so because it is a supernatural book that contains the very words of God. It is full of helpful instruction, comfort, encouragement, and guidance; it is literally the owner’s manual for your life. As you read through Dr. Wiersbe’s commentary on Psalms 90—150, I challenge you to look for the emphasis on the importance of the Word of God in the life of the believer and how you can benefit by reading, meditating on, and applying His Word to your life.
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Dr. Wiersbe’s commentaries have been a source of guidance and strength to me over the many years that I have been a pastor. His unique style is not overly academic, but theologically sound. He explains the deep truths of Scripture in a way that everyone can understand and apply. Whether you’re a Bible scholar or a brand-new believer in Christ, you will benefit, as I have, from Warren’s insights. With your Bible in one hand and Dr. Wiersbe’s commentary in the other, you will be able to accurately unpack the deep truths of God’s Word and learn how to apply them to your life.
Drink deeply, my friend, of the truths of God’s Word, for in them you will find Jesus Christ, and there is freedom, peace, assurance, and joy.
—Ken Baugh
Pastor of Coast Hills Community Church
Aliso Viejo, California