12/10/2020
Do you consume the Word of God as if it were your greatest joy? Does it satisfy you completely like a feast for your soul? When we are called by God, and declare His Son Jesus to be our savior, we find ourselves transformed, and that God’s Word has become the greatest delicacy at His table. We consume it with amazing zeal, and the mere scent of it causes us to long continuously for its taste. Does this describe our longing, or have we lost a taste for the Word after years of the same steady diet?
“Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by your name, O Lord, God of hosts.”
Jeremiah 15:16 ESV
Hungering for the Word can be like many things in life, after a steady diet without change we can find our longing wanes. Is this where you find yourself today? Have we read the Bible over and over again until we have reached the place where it has ceased to be new, or a joyous experience of awakening to us? It isn’t that we have lost our faith, no, but we may find that the burning fire it once was to us has died down. It may be that the very thought of God’s Word has become so familiar to us that we resemble many older married couples... they love one another, but after years without some added spark, or attention, the intensity of their relationship has cooled. So, how are we to keep our interest in God’s Word alive in us? Well, we do the same thing that couples do... we change the scenery, look for things we might not have seen in one another, talk about how much we love one another, or see each other in fresh and new ways. None of these things changes God’s Word, or the truth it contains, but it can reinvigorate our relationship by revealing new ways God, and Jesus are at work in lives.
Changing the scenery involves reading the Bible in ways we have never done before. Perhaps we simply read the Bible in a new order, or way... the oldest books first, or some other novel reading plan. Or maybe by reading together with our spouse, or small group will bring new life to the experience. But a wonderful way, if you can, is to go on a pilgrimage to a place that contains some biblical significance... Jerusalem, Rome, Athens, or if such a trip is out of reach for you, maybe the place where your denomination first established itself in your country... reading specific scripture as you go, and seeing with your eyes, and touching things with your hands, that you had only read about before...
“Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom.”
Luke 2:41-42 ESV
Looking at scripture in ways we might not have looked at it before is an interesting and revealing way to bring new life to God’s Word. Open your heart, mind, and soul to the Bible. We get in the habit of reading God’s Word and apply our same tried and true understanding of it over and over again, but how many times have you been reading a verse that you have read many times before when suddenly you get a new understanding... an epiphany? The Oder couple we have been talking about sees new things in one another too. I use my marriage as an example... Just when I think I know my wife she suddenly shows me something of herself that I had never seen, or known, before. We are complex, but not nearly as complex as God’s Word, and besides, He is known to hide things from us until the time is right to reveal Himself more fully...
“At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.”
Matthew 11:25-26 ESV
Then there is confessing our love for one another. Telling, and showing your spouse that you love them reignites the fire. It is like waking up in the morning to find your campfire has died down during the night to a few smoldering embers, but by adding some twigs, and blowing the embers back to life, you rekindle the flame. Words of love are like twigs to a smoldering fire, and praising God, and Jesus reignites the spiritual fire in us. When we use scripture in our praise it brings a special excitement into our relationship with them, and back into reading the Bible, and praising God and Jesus with such wonderful scripture as...
“But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing,”
2 Corinthians 2:14-15 ESV
So, there are many ways to reinvigorate our reading and study of a God’s Word. These are a few examples but there are many more like retreats, and weekend Bible courses... look for those twigs in your life that can rekindle not only the desire to read scripture, but the fire in your faith, and relationship with the Lord.
““Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”
Matthew 5:6 ESV
Prayer:
Father, thank you for your Holy word, and for the hunger we have for it. Thank you Lord for the twigs you place on our coals when the fire of our desire has died down, and remaining joyous in your Word is difficult for us to maintain. Send your Holy Spirit to give us an understanding, and a newness once more that refreshes your Word within us. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you whose Word is life to us, and brings us joy as we consume it. Praised be your name for making your love new every morning, and your Word fresh in our mouths as we begin each day. You are merciful Lord for revealing the mysteries contained in scripture just at the moment when we need to hear them. You are full of Grace for walking with us every day and feeding the hunger of our souls. Lord, immerse us in the living water of Christ, and wash us clean of our sins. Make us righteous in your eyes, and seat us at your table where we will be fed your Word, and filled with joy forevermore.
Rich Forbes.