Isaiah 33:6 He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure.

          The key. The fear of the Lord. The key that opens the door to wisdom and knowledge and salvation.

          If the fear of the Lord is the key, I should know what is the fear of the Lord. What does it mean to fear the Lord? Am I to tremble and dread Him? I can’t believe that. That goes against everything else the Bible teaches. True fear of the Lord may contain some portion of dread, just as a misbehaving child might dread their loving father, but that is an incomplete definition of the fear of the Lord. It does not convey the true character and characteristics of my Living Lord.

          Ps 103:13 As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;

          1Jo 4:8 . . . because God is love.

          1Jo 4:16 . . . God is love. . .

          Ps 116:5 The LORD is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion.

          Da 9:9 The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving . .

          Da 9:14 . . .the Lord our God is righteous in everything he does; . . .

          De 4:31 For the LORD your God is a merciful God; . . .

          2Ch 19:7 . . . for with the LORD our God there is no injustice or partiality or bribery.”

          Ps 147:11 the LORD delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.

          These verses reveal God as abounding in love and justice and righteousness. Mercy, compassion and justice are not attributes that usually inspire fear and trembling and dread.

          So? What is the fear of the Lord?

          Pr 8:13 To fear the LORD is to hate evil; . . .

          Job 28:28 . . . ‘The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.’”

          Isaiah 33:6 He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure.

          He is a sure foundation. He is the sure foundation for my time. He is the sure foundation for my time. I can safely put my trust in Him and His teachings.

          He is a rich store of treasure: wisdom, knowledge, salvation. When I learn about Him and from Him, I find treasure, real treasure. I discover knowledge of so many things, wisdom to understand and use that knowledge appropriately and, best of all, I find salvation. (And because of the knowledge and wisdom I find, I understand what that means and how precious a gift is that salvation.)

          He is my sure foundation. Is He yours?

          He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure.

          My last post talked about meditating on God’s Word. What exactly does that mean?

          All About Spirituality.org has a detailed definition of meditation and various ways it has been practiced in different cultures. In fact, All About Spirituality.org has a lot of information about many things related to spirituality. Each article gives plenty of information and continually leads back to the truth that true spirituality comes from a relationship with the Lord Jesus. I recommend this site if you want to explore the meaning of true spirituality.

          Back to biblical meditation. What is it? Short answer: focused thinking about what the passage teaches and how it applies to my life.

          I’m renewing the habit of meditation and would like you to join me. I’m calling it a Meditation Meander. That sounds like an oxymoron, doesn’t it? If meditation is focused attention, how can you meander through it? Meander seems to indicate an aimless wandering.

          But consider: A meandering trail is much longer than a trail straight from point A to point B. A meandering walk through the forest gives a person maximum time in that forest. Time to enjoy the sights and sounds and smells of the forest. Time to see and experience details that would be missed during a more purposeful journey. Time to really get to know the forest. A meandering walk is a walk whose focus in not on destination but on experienced moments.

          Meditation Meander. A journey through Scripture; a focus on Scripture’s Author.

          Each week (or so), I’ll chose a verse or short passage. First I will memorize it (or re-memorize, if I already know it). Throughout the week, I will consider what it means and how it can be applied to my life. I will also search my Lord’s Word for other verses that teach the same truth. This is a huge task. There are sure to be multitudes of verses that touch on at least one aspect of my target verse. Obviously I won’t be able to exhaust that search. I’m not even going to try. That’s not the goal. The goal is to meander through His Word, to investigate and discover His teachings, to immerse myself in His truths and to delight in Him.

          I’d love for you to join me. I’ll post my focus verse each week. Sometime during the week, I will post few of the similar verses I’ve discovered and any thoughts that have occurred during my meditations. Feel free to tell me about any verses or insights you glean as you meander through His Word.

Many years ago I was shown these passages from Psalm 1

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. Whatever he does prospers. Psalm 1:1-3

and Joshua 1 (emphasis mine).

Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Joshua 1:7-8

          There is a promise here. A promise I have trusted and seen fulfilled in countless ways for decades.

          If I meditate on the law of the Lord, if His Word is my delight, I will prosper. As I meditate on God’s Law, I become like a tree planted by a stream. My life prospers, I bear fruit, I have success, I flourish.

          Some could corrupt that to mean I’ll have a lot of money and material wealth. That’s not what those verses say. That belief cheapens and tarnishes the truth. These verses are talking about true prosperity, a prosperity of soul. A prosperity that has little to do with possessions and much to with a life well lived .

          A prosperous life is one filled with fulfilling tasks and life purpose. A prosperous life includes an ability to find joy and purpose in each day. A prosperous life is rich in relationships, both as mentor and disciple. A prosperous life encompasses each moment of each day, layering it with richness and vibrancy and fulfillment. A prosperous life has little to do with money and possessions and much to do with living.

          The Bible teaches that if I meditate on God’s Word, I will prosper. So I will meditate. Join me!

          What does your new year hold? My 2010 included a lot of changes, which will continue into the new year.

          I’m also making plans, sometimes called resolutions. But not the typical resolutions. Not the resolutions that are forgotten by February. At least that’s my plan.

          This blog is my feeble attempt to share with anyone who will listen the glorious truth of a life lived for, with and through my wondrous Lord. Feeble because there are so many things I want to share, so much I want to say. I write, but my attempted posts become too long, too serious, too full. Or I swing back the other way and they become too trivial. So I don’t post anything. And this blog sits empty. Doing little except reveal my failure to be consistent.

          It’s time for that to change. I will post something to this blog at least twice a week.

          I’m still floundering, trying to decide exactly what to write. Do I write about my writing? Or my hobbies? (Which ones?) Or homeschooling? Or being a wife and mom? Or what? I have many interests, many thoughts . . . and many doubts. (Who really wants to hear what I have to say? Anyone?)

          Even so, I will post something at least twice each week. I will do that for the next two months. In February, my domain name is due to be renewed. If I have not posted to this blog on a regular basis by mid-February, I think it wise to let the domain expire. Whatever happens, whether renewed and regular blog postings or termination of a useless and unused blog, this year will be a year of following my wondrous Lord wherever He leads.

          Won’t you join me?