Psalm 19.14 14 I hope my words and thoughts please you. Lord,
you are my Rock, the one who saves me. (NCV)
Psalm 19 is truly one of my favorite Psalms. It calls me
to a higher place. King David sang a good one when he sang this one. This year,
I’m attempting to read a different Bible translation every month; and this
month, it just happens to be the New
Century Version. I chuckle at the names of these Bible translations; I
wonder which century they had in mind when they wrote this one. J It
was first published in 1987.
One of the things that makes Bible reading easier for
some is finding a translation that is easier to read. One of my favorites is
the New Living Translation. Another is The Message, by Eugene Peterson. I
stumbled across the New Century Version about 13 years ago and fell in love
with it. It is not my preferred translation but it is definitely a well
presented version and very easy to read. Here is a brief word on the history of
the NCV:
The New Century
Version of the Bible is a revision of the International Children's Bible. The
ICB was aimed at young readers and those with low reading skills/limited
vocabulary in English. It is written at a 3rd grade level (from the
introduction) and is both conservative and evangelical in tone. The New
Testament was first published in 1978 and the Old Testament followed in 1986.
The ICB was revised somewhat to be a bit more sophisticated (reading level
grade 5) and was dubbed the New Century Version, released in 1987. A
gender-neutral edition was first published in 1991, supplanting the original.* *(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Century_Version)
It appeals to me; it’s written at a 5th grade
level of comprehension – perfect! J
Today, it said (as I read), “I hope my words and thoughts please you.” In America today the
word hope is abysmally misused. For the most part, it is construed to mean wishful
thinking. When we say, “I hope…” we usually mean, maybe yes, maybe no. But
the biblical meaning of hope is: Yes, Yes, a thousand times Yes! Hope is
an emphatic in the Bible, not wishful thinking.
To say, I hope my
words and thoughts please You means: I’m
living my life in full view of You, and all that I say and all that I think are
open for You to see. And so may they be pleasing to You! If not, correct me so
they will be so. Not: I’m going to
put some energy into life and I want my words and thoughts to please You but I
can’t guarantee that it’ll happen. Big difference in meaning. I hope means:
it is; it will; You are God and You love
everything about me: the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Father, because of You I live. In You I live and move and
have my being. Apart from You it is only wishful thinking. In You it is a fixed
hope in the reality of You and the result of giving my life to You only. I hope
in You, and I hope the words I say, and the thoughts I think, please You. Your
promise is, they do always. Like a mother loves her infant child, so do You
love Your children – our hope is in You! Amen.
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