Tuesday March 13, 2012

Read Deuteronomy 8:3

 

I don’t think I ever realised the depth of meaning in Deuteronomy 8:3 until the Lord called me to fast and pray for an entire week. When you have passed the point of hunger, when you have given up worrying or thinking about food, you begin to realise that God and having a relationship with Him far exceeds anything else, even the food we need to survive. We need every word that comes from the mouth of God. It is our spiritual diet, our spiritual nourishment and absolutely vital for life, true Jesus-centred life.

 

God led Israel through the wilderness for 40 years. It must have been unimaginably difficult at times. It must have been frightening and nerve wracking. But God was bringing the people to realise that His Word was far more important and far more valuable than our daily food.

 

If only the children of God would hunger after the Word of God more than our daily food needs and desires. If only the people of God would crave the Word like we crave chocolate and sweets. If only we would hunger after God’s Word and spend as much time, if not more, in the Word than we do in preparing food and eating food. If only we would know the value and benefit of feeding on the Word of God. If only we snacked on the Word as much and as often as we snacked on food.

 

Let me encourage you to re-capture the love of God’s Word. Perhaps you could think through fasting and praying, say once a week or once a fortnight. Perhaps you could set a program to read through the Bible in a year. Perhaps you could read together one chapter each night as a family. Do whatever it takes to fall in love with God’s Word all over again!

 

Prayer:

¥ Pray for those in your congregation (pray for them by name) who are ill or suffering. Pray that the Lord would have His gracious hand upon them and bring healing and relief. Pray that these people would trust God and look to Him for strength.

¥ Pray that God would grow trust and faith within each of us and that together we would be equipping and spurring each other onto love and good deeds.

¥ Pray that we would see many people come to the Lord in faith and repentance. Ask God to open doors of opportunity for each of us to share our faith in Christ.