Hey You--Yes, I Mean You

God bluntly grabbed my attention this morning. It wasn’t during the time I was reading Scripture or praying. It was while I was reading an article by Donald S. Whitney published in Tabletalk on pages 61-62 in the February 2011 issue. Normally I study the daily devotionals then read the articles with a bit less concentration. Not so today. God demanded I comprehend the theme of this article.

How much time do you spend reading a verse in the Bible? I’m not talking about how much time you spend reading the Bible. I’m talking about how much time you spend on a verse. Maybe two or three seconds? How can you expect to remember and understand God’s Word if you spend just seconds on important verses? The answer—you cannot. You may gain a general knowledge, but it is doubtful that much of what you read will become a part of your thinking and affect your behaviors.

I am not suggesting spending several minutes on each verse in the Bible. That would be ludicrous. However, God revealed to me this morning that I am rushing over verses he wants me to consider in more depth. I am too busy getting through a passage of scripture (or through today’s devotional reading)--not actually concentrating on what God is telling me in His Word.

The article by Whitney made several excellent suggestions, some of which I have successfully used in the past and a couple I plan on trying.

• · Repeat the verse or phrase with emphasis on a different word each time
• · Write the verse in your own words
• · Find the principle of the passage by asking a question
• · State a problem the passage solves
• · Ask yourself how the passage relates to the gospel and to Jesus
• · Choose a verse or short passage to think about throughout the day
• · Memorize scripture
• · Pray scripture

“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success." Joshua 1:8 ESV

So, I need to quit rushing God. I must slow down and carefully listen to what he is telling me in His Word.

Lord, show me how to delight in your law. Give me the unquenchable desire to meditate on it day and night.

“…but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night." Psalms 1:2 ESV