Finding Strength and Joy Through Knowing God

The essence of true religion is to know God. That is the whole of religion: to know God, not to know things about Him—that comes in—not to have certain views of life—that comes in. The essence of religion is really and truly to know God so that you can address Him as this man does and say, "My King and my God." [00:03:28]

Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee, in whose heart are ways. The very word he used means this: a made road, a road that has been made deliberately. That's the true meaning of this word "way." Blessed is the man who has made roads constructed for affairs in his heart. [00:09:42]

The heart of the man who is not a Christian, the heart of the religious person, is like a pathless wilderness. Now you may have read of settlers in early years in the United States or in Canada or some other land that has only been discovered in the last few centuries. [00:10:23]

The psalmist says that by way of contrast, and it's very important that we should understand his teaching because his teaching is nothing but an accurate description in detail of what we all are by nature in this life and in this world as the result of the fall and as the result of the sin of the first man. [00:12:27]

The glory of religion, according to this man, is that it changes all that. Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee, in whose heart are the highways of God, the made roads that solve the problem and transform everything. Order—there is nothing, I say, that is more glorious and wonderful about this Christian life than just this very element: the order. [00:20:22]

The Holy Spirit is a divine bulldozer. He just flattens. He convicts us of our sin, and when we thought we were great and mighty and knowledgeable and that we could manage our own affairs, He just puts us flat on the ground and discovers to us that we knew nothing, that we've all sinned and come short of the glory of God. [00:25:01]

The Christian starts by seeing that, and he is not depressed by that. No, no, he's got a sense of direction, working to a goal. He sees himself as a traveler. Of course, the people who are unhappy are the people who think this is the only life and the only world, and therefore they're horrified at the thought of death. [00:34:51]

The Christian life not only brings order into my life, but because it brings order into my life, it enables me to rejoice even in the midst of tribulation. What is the valley of Becca? Well, another translation puts it like this: as they go through the veil of tears, they make it a place of springs. [00:40:54]

The Christian does find himself in the valley of Becca sometimes, but you see, he turns that into a place of springs and of rejoicing in this way. He says, "Yes, I'm sure now, but our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory." [00:46:15]

Blessed is the man that trusteth in thee. Oh yes, Christ blessed. There is no happiness comparable to this understanding or discipline and a blessed hope that will never fade away. [00:50:38]

The Christian life enables believers to find joy even in the valley of Becca, a metaphor for times of sorrow and trial. The psalmist asserts that believers can turn these valleys into places of springs, finding joy and strength in their relationship with God. [00:40:54]

The Christian journey is a pilgrimage with a clear destination. This perspective gives believers a sense of purpose and direction, allowing them to face life's trials with hope and confidence. [00:34:51]