By Trish Donohue

Here’s a riddle for you—complete with my own best guesses…

What revives the soul,  (strong coffee?)

Makes simple people wise,  (Cliff Notes?)

Makes your heart rejoice,  (a big tax return?)

Enlightens you,  (People magazine?)

Endures forever,  (a bad haircut?)

Is more desirable than gold,  (a cleaning lady?)

Is sweeter than honey,  (boardwalk fudge?)

Offers great reward? (Botox ads?)

I was reading Psalms in my quiet time the other day, and I came across this exact riddle in Psalm 19.  As I read it, my eyes opened wider and my grogginess wore off.  I was thinking, “Hey, I need all this stuff!”  My soul needs to be revived, I need wisdom desperately, my heart needs to rejoice, I need to be enlightened, and I definitely want great reward.  This is quite a sales pitch.  And since I found it in the Bible and not in a magazine, it’s got to be true!

So are you ready?  The answer is God’s Word.  But now that you know the answer, do you feel a hint of disappointment?  Are you thinking, “Oh, it’s a spiritual answer—there really isn’t anything real and practical that accomplishes all of that.  Bummer.”

Those are your idols talking (well actually, they’re mine, but you probably have some of your own.)  They’re jealous because they want you to look to them for relief and refreshment.  They like to make the bold promises. “You want refreshment?” they ask.  “Watch me.” “Buy me.”  “Seek me.”  “Lust after me.”  “Trust in me.” 

They’re all liars though.  And as God helps us grow in our faith, we’re getting smarter, and we can read Psalm 19 and believe it. 

What will revive my soul?  The perfect law of the Lord!

What will make my simple mind wise?  The sure testimony of the Lord!

What will make my heart rejoice?  The right precepts of the Lord!

What will enlighten my eyes?  The pure commandment of the Lord!

In other words, God speaks truth, through scripture, into our lied-to hearts.  He’s given us pages full of perfection, straight from his holy, brilliant, clever, creative, sovereign, understanding, amazing mind. And those words and their results bring all that we desire: refreshment, wisdom, rejoicing, enlightenment, righteousness, sweetness, reward!  What a promise!  What a deal!  And no member fees!

Our creator knows us so much better than we know ourselves.  Lord, open our eyes to see that your word is “more to be desired…than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.”