Looking for GodSample

Abide in His Word

I encourage you to read the Bible daily. Don’t just skim over the words, reading them as quickly as you can, but meditate on them. An online search of the word meditate will result in page after page of different meditation techniques, articles from psychologists, and the websites of meditation centers. None of the results in my online search included the Bible, which actually includes the word “meditating” as early as Genesis 24:63 (6,000 years ago), and says that Isaac went out into the fields to meditate. The Old Testament Hebrew meaning of the word here is to “muse pensively.” To meditate on Scripture is to muse over it, ponder and study it, give it focused thought and prayer.

After the death of Moses, the Lord said to Joshua, the new leader of the Israelites, “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful” (Joshua 1:8 NIV).

The Bible says to meditate on the Word “day and night,” do what is “written in it,” and “then you will be prosperous and successful.” This isn’t New Age jargon or something from a self-help book. God’s Word says this! The word “prosperous” in this verse means “to push forward, make progress, and break out.” The word “successful” means “to wisely understand, to be circumspect and have insight.”

If you are stuck in a situation and don’t know or see the way out, then pick up God’s Word and meditate on it. Search online for Bible verses about wisdom, hope, peace, hopelessness, anger, jealousy, anxiety, lust, bitterness, or whatever is affecting you. When you find the relevant Bible verses, open your Bible and meditate on and pray through those verses. Don’t be in a hurry. Think about how those verses speak to your heart and to your situation, and you’ll be “prosperous” (make progress and push forward) and “successful” (have wisdom and insight) as you do. Ask for God’s peace, comfort, mercy, or hope to fill you.

If you need faith, then ask for it! James 4:2 says that we don’t have because we don’t ask God. If you don’t like to read, then there are many great audio Bibles to listen to on your phone. My nearly 88-year-old mother can no longer see to read, but she has the Wonder Bible, which she is able to listen to and loves it! Your faith will increase as you read or listen to the Word. As the Bible says, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17 NKJV). Faith comes by listening to the Word of God! As you read or listen to God’s Word and meditate on it, ponder its passages and let them move from your mind to your heart. When God’s Word moves from head knowledge to heart knowledge, that is when transformation begins.

Jesus said, “Remain in my love. When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love” (John 15:10 NIV). Part of the definition for “remain” in this verse is “to remain, lodge, sojourn, dwell.” This promise is made to those who receive Christ as their Savior: If you lodge in God’s Word by reading it, if you sojourn and dwell there by meditating on it, and abide in His love, the joy of Jesus will be inside of you, and your joy will be full! (John 15:11).

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We hope this plan was helpful to you. You can read more devotions from Donna VanLiere in her book, Looking for God, available here.