Urging people to spend more time in prayer and Bible study seldom meets with success. They seem to think you are trying to torture them, or at least deprive them of better things. If you feel that way all I know to say is, “WOW! Someone has surely misled you”. That’s like saying a love letter from your sweetheart is boring. Are you kidding me? How can you not get excited about God speaking to you? Were His voice loud and audible would that make a difference? Why? Knowing it comes from our loving heavenly Father should be all that matters. Whether you understand it or not, He has chosen this as the means best suited for us.
I’ve got the feeling that most people think this is only for preachers and teachers. They fail to see that this is something every Christian needs. It’s not just something we enjoy, it is essential to our well-being and our effectiveness as servants of the Lord. You wonder why you can’t resist temptation, defeat depression, experience joy, rest in peace, conquer doubt, calm fears, gain wisdom, and all the while you neglect the very thing needed to do these things. What do you expect? There are consequences to our choices and neglect of God’s Word is one of the worst you can make. In these verses we see the writer’s promise, pleasure, pursuit, plea, and purpose. What about you? What could be said about your attitude toward the Word of God? I speak about this subject often because I know how important it is. I beg you–please stop depriving yourself of that which you need most. Don’t just read your Bible, study it and meditate in it. Blessing are sure to come to those who do.
F. B. Meyer said, “Listen attentively to the Word of Truth, written or spoken. Be quick to notice the smallest symptom of inconsistency between your life and the perfect beauty of Jesus, and set yourself immediately to correct it. Be merciful to the failings of everyone else, but be merciless to your own. Let no fault remain uncorrected, and no call to duty unanswered. For you to live, let it be Christ. Your blessedness and happiness will come in choosing the Christ-life, in doing, and continuing to do what He would have you do.”–HDS
