Pull Up to the Table
Being “hungry” can mean a lot of things — like, it’s time to stop and have lunch. Or, it can mean after reading an inspiring story or devotion book that includes a kick-in-the-you-know-what kind of wake-up-call full of scriptures that we know we need to get more serious about the “Lamp to our feet” and the “Light to our pathway” (Psalm 119:105)! It’s an aha that impacts us so much that we’re hungry and ready to “gorge” on the sweet and delectable chewy delights found there!
It’s one thing to fulfill our daily “snack” of God’s Word — a scripture or two found in a devotional, and it’s another thing to pull up to the “table” and feast on the words that have the potential of changing everything in our life. A wonderful and practical way to “dine-in” rather than eat-on-the-fly at a “take-out” fast-food place is to follow the very practical and purposeful way of reading God’s Word.
It is called “Lectio Divina” (Latin for “divine reading”). Lectio Divina has four steps: read; meditate; pray; contemplate. First a passage of scripture is read, then its meaning is reflected upon. Then it’s followed by prayer and contemplation on the words. So many times when I read and pray this way, an aha comes. It encourages me so much that I’ll note it in my Bible and my journal. It’s not how many scriptures we read, but how our hunger is quenched when we really understand even just one.
This photo is the Bible my daughter gave me on Mother’s Day, 1995. I know that by the inscription on this page. That was when she was still Staci (Sissy, as was called by her big brother) Michelle Wuerch. I had a moment of endearment because I hadn’t noticed that page — probably since she gave it to me back in 1995. It is a Bible that is very marked up.
I love my deep dive into the Word daily. I hunger to know more, learn more, and live more by what this best-selling BOOK says. There is none other to compare with its wealth of wisdom and guidance for living an overcoming and successful life — if we would but adhere to what it tells us. The Psalmist and Jesus said this about God’s Word:
“Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long. Your commands are always with me… Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path… I have put my hope in Your word”. ~ David, Psalm 119:97-98, Psalm 119:105, Psalm 119:114
“Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” ~ Jesus, Matthew 4:4
The Bible is more than an instruction manual or a rule book. It is more than a random collection of stories, poems, and letters. It is the voice of God communicating with us. That is why the Bible is often referred to as “the Word of God.”
The bottom line? We know the sound of God’s voice in our lives when we read His Word. Need direction? Need peace? Need hope? Need joy? Need answers? Everything you and I need is found within the pages of the Word of God (the Holy Bible). It is the most definitive way we can know and hear the voice of God! I’m hungry! Let’s pull up to the table and enjoy the “spread” God has prepared for us!