Discovering Delight: 31 Meditations on Loving God’s Law

Glenda Mathes

Reviewed by: Holly Wilson

Discovering Delight: 31 Meditations on Loving God’s Law, by Glenda Mathes. Reformation Heritage Books, 2014. Paperback, 160 pages, list price $10.00. Reviewed by OP pastor’s wife Holly Wilson.

This is a sweet little gem of a book, presenting meditations for each day of the month. They are uplifting and nicely written. The book goes through Psalm 119, one section at a time. It also includes a few meditations on other passages in order to make a total of thirty-one chapters. Each day there is a series of three questions to help you reflect on the passage and how it applies to your own life.

Mrs. Mathes has compiled nicely thought-out chapters. They are long enough to be substantial in their content, but short enough to read for a daily quiet time. Her doctrinal base is sound and solidly Reformed. She doesn’t beat you over the head with God’s law, but rather encourages a genuine love and appreciation for it, highlighting the way God shows his love in his law.

She makes excellent use of similes and metaphors. For example, she compares Psalm 119 and its complexities to a “trellis on which the vine of heartfelt prayer climbs and blooms with delight in God and His Word” (p. 27). At another point she says, “Scripture isn’t dry toast. It is like roast beef and mashed potatoes or filet mignon and sautéed mushrooms.… It’s a veritable feast of delectable delights” (p. 88). These word pictures, woven in and out of her writing, make it interesting and pleasant to read.

This would be a wonderful little gift book to use when you need a little something to take along as a thank-you present or for a special teacher or friend. It would be of interest to both men and women in any walk of life.