God’s Word Discovered, Eaten, and Enjoyed

Daily Reading: Jeremiah 15

Scripture Focus: Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart. (Jeremiah 15.16)

Devotional Thought: I remember the situation clearly.  I was at a crossroads where I needed to make a decision but was stuck.  I sat down in the morning, opened my Bible, and asked the Lord to speak.  As I read that day’s passage, a phrase jumped off the page and buttonholed me.  It was a verse I’d read numerous times, but this time it struck me with a new force.  I felt both peaceful and empowered because I knew what I needed to do.

In v. 16, Jeremiah gives us a recipe for how we can sense guidance and direction from God’s Word:

·       “Your words were found …”.  For something to be found, it must first be sought.  And for it to be sought, we must believe it exists and is worthy of discovery.  For God to speak to us through his Word, we must come with a sense of anticipation and approach it with a readiness and openness to receive.

·       “ … I ate them...”.  This phrase implies a hungering of soul.  To eat the Word of God means we receive it as sustenance from a loving heavenly Father.  Given the pressures of life and the stresses that accompany living in a fallen world, we receive its insights as wholesome, nourishing truth meant to enrich and enhance our lives.

·       “…your words to me became a joy and the delight of my heart …”.  When God truly speaks to us, our understanding is enhanced and our conscience is enlightened.  There’s a satisfaction and peace of mind that is both liberating and unmistakable.  And, there’s a commitment on our part to implement and apply its truth to our life.

James 1.22-23 talks about how we’re to not merely hear the Word, but we’re to do it.  That’s essentially what Jeremiah is saying here.

John Whitsett

Prayer: Heavenly Father—help me see your Word for what it is … a source of nourishment and sustenance meant specifically for me.  And, grant me the follow through to earnestly apply its truth and insights to my life.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Psalm of the Day: Psalm 107.33-38

33 He turns rivers into a desert, springs of water into thirsty ground,

34 a fruitful land into a salty waste, because of the evil of its inhabitants.

35 He turns a desert into pools of water, a parched land into springs of water.

36 And there he lets the hungry dwell, and they establish a city to live in;

37 they sow fields and plant vineyards and get a fruitful yield.

38 By his blessing they multiply greatly, and he does not let their livestock diminish.