Learning to Crave the Word of God above anything else.
I recently noticed that I’ve been going through a spiritual anorexia. I haven’t been feeding on God’s Word. Instead, I’ve been replacing it with my own plans and strivings. This has resulted in my feeling tired, snappy and worn out. This is not the way to live. I needed to quench the dry landscape of my soul.
As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, the living God. When can I go and meet with my God? (Psalm 42:1-2)
I’ve been asking myself this big question: When can I go and meet with my God? Feels like my days are extremely full and I don’t have the time to actually meet with God. But He’s shown me that I don’t need long stretches of time. Like eating natural food, I can eat His Word throughout the day. Five or ten minutes in duration, five to ten times a day would do.
I didn’t think that would be enough. But I tried it, and I found out that it filled me.
I carry a Bible around with me. At home, I have a small pocket sized Bible and the Lord has shown me open spaces of time when I can read His Word:
- when I’m feeding the baby
- at each meal
- when I get the urge to check my Facebook or my email or do anything internet related (this has opened up loads of time!)
- when my two year old is using the potty
Each of these times, I read a couple of verses and then I enter into a dialogue with God. If I read a promise, I’ll whisper my thanks to Him for the promise and ask Him to show me how to incorporate it into my life. If I read something I don’t understand, I ask Him to open the eyes of my understanding. He’ll often show me another passage of scripture that expands on the passage in question. Many times, I’ll read a passage of correction or rebuke. After trying to justify my behavior in a certain area, I’ll then repent and ask Him to help me in that area.
It’s been nice. It’s been unreligious. It’s been refreshing. Kinda like walking around with a wise friend all day and having Him guide your steps.
I don’t have to use complicated reading plans,. I just go through the Bible verse by verse, page by page, book by book, during the spare minutes in my day.
I love this way of reading his Word. And I thought a lot of busy gals out there want to meet with God too, but they are asking: When will I meet with my God? So, I thought have an Eat The Book Challenge.
The Eat the Book Challenge will consist of a weekly reminder and my personal, spiritual meal plan. I’ll post this each Monday. In the reminder portion, I’ll post something Word related: tips, quotes, etc. so that you can be encouraged to Eat the Book.
Then I’ll write about how I did with eating the Book the prior week (any struggles, hurdles or vistories I had). I’ll also list my plan for the coming week. My plan doesn’t have to be your plan. But I’m listing it here to keep myself accountable and to encourage you. I don’t like going through spiritual droughts, and I want to avoid future droughts as much as possible.
Feel free to comment and list your plans for the coming week to eating the Book and/or an update for how much Word you ate from the week before. If you need help and have a question, you can post those too.
How I did Last Week:
I was pretty good with Eating the Book at the beginning of the week, but then I got distracted with the cares of this world by mid-week. Jesus had warned me about this in Mark 4:18-19. The cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things can choke the Word, causing it to be unfruitful. I ignored the warning and ended up stressed by Friday. When I came back to reading the Word, I found it hard to concentrate since my mind was still thinking about other things. But I found that if I read the words aloud to myself silently, that helped me concentrate.
Tip: If you find your mind wandering about the cares of life as you read the Bible, remember Jesus’s warning in Mark 4:18-19. Also, read the Word aloud to yourself quietly. That aids focus.
Spiritual Meal Plan for the Week:
I’d like to finish Exodus and Luke this week. I’m about 25% through Exodus and I just finished Mark, so Luke is next.
What your spiritual meal plan for the week?
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