Jeremiah 15:16 (NIV®)
“Your words were found, and I ate them, And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; For I am called by Your name, O Lord God of hosts.”
I love the Bible. I believe it is God’s letter to us… something that we can use to hear when our spiritual ears might be a little clogged. The Holy Spirit confirms the words of scripture in my heart and I know I can trust them, lean on them, and know that as I walk them out in my life, God will bless. Whether I need instruction, guidance, comfort, or correction; His word is always a soothing salve for my soul…. especially when days are hard.
The investment I have made over the years of being in God’s word is not one of an academic nature. In my younger years I read because I wanted to know God. I was pretty self sufficient in my invincible youth… but The Lord was gracious to draw me to Himself and I wanted to know Him and love Him more. The best way for me to know Him was to read His word.
That has not changed. I still read to know Him better. In these later years though, now more than ever, I read to set my focus back to where it needs to be. I read to learn how I am to approach hard situations in life. I read to provide an open avenue for the Holy Spirit to teach me and to minister to me as only He can. Now that I have a few years under my belt, I recognize more than ever my total dependence upon God. I truly NEED Him. I am spent and weary when I am not drawing from His resources. And the one thing I can see and touch that is a direct gift from Him to nourish my soul, is His word.
Today’s verse settles in and nestles in my spirit. I seek God through His word and find Him there. I take it all in and it nourishes and rejuvenates me. It realigns me and reminds me that I am His, that He is mine, that He is all I need, and Almighty God is my helper. I can rest under the shadow of His wings. I can feast at the table He has prepared for me. I can be confident that He is in charge. I am called by His name and can do all of this because of who He is – The Lord God of hosts!
I encourage you to invest time in God’s word. Build a “bank account” that you can draw from in good and rough times. Strengthen the foundation of your walk with Him. There is nothing that is worth more than your walk with Jesus Christ. And since Jesus Christ is the Word of God… spend time there. Restock and refresh and let’s walk through this life with joy and rejoicing!