Today’s Bible Reading: Ezekiel 27:1-28:26; Hebrews 11:17-31; Psalm 111:1-10; Proverbs 27:15-16
I’m actually a day behind in my reading after a very busy weekend. I don’t “sweat” those days when I get behind-that’s not what my time in God’s Word is about. I keep a journal by my side as I read and I want to share with you what I wrote as I began my time this morning. When I started reading my mind kept jumping to all sorts of things I need to work on today and I realized that I was not even paying attention to what I was reading…what was I reading? So I grabbed my journal and penned this prayer:
“O Lord God, so many distracting things on my mind today. Help me to just come into Your presence and be with You. To delight in spending this time in fellowship with You. To be willing to sit here and soak You in-to soak in every word You speak to me today. I don’t want to rush my time with You. I want to savor it and delight in it as if I was actually sitting at Your feet like Mary did all those years ago. So clear my mind of distractions and tune my heart to You.”
God used that moment of stopping and writing out this prayer to draw me in and keep the outside world away as I once again turned to God’s Word. My reading in Ezekiel had me asking Him questions as there were things I just didn’t understand-and still don’t. Over and over throughout Ezekiel I have been reading of the Sovereign LORD and I am latching on to that right now. God being Sovereign. And in today’s reading I was struck how Tyre made itself out to be god-that all it had, riches, beauty, etc, were somehow a product of its own making rather than the blessings of the Sovereign LORD and I wonder if perhaps that is why Jesus said it is so hard for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven; they begin to think it is all about what they have done rather than what God has provided. There is a warning there for me I would be wise to consider.
The next passage that jumped out to me was Hebrews 11:24-27.
It was by faith that Moses, when he grew up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to share the oppression of God’s people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin. He thought it was better to suffer for the sake of Christ than to own the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his great reward. It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger. He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible.
The line that really caught my attention was “he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible.” That really seems to hit on a problem we face as followers of Christ. How do we keep our eyes focused on someone we cannot see. That is why I sometimes struggle to focus when I sit down to read my Bible. I am in a relationship with someone that I cannot visit with face to face-I can’t even call Him up on the phone and have a conversation. But that makes my time in God’s word all the more important, otherwise it is simply a one-sided conversation.
I would encourage you, dear reader, that if you are struggling with this time in the Word that you stop and pray. Have a little talk with Jesus and just see what He does for you as you pick up your Bible and begin reading.
May grace, peace, and mercy from God our Father and Lord Jesus Christ be upon you dear reader.
Debra
“O Lord God, so many distracting things on my mind today. Help me to just come into Your presence and be with You. To delight in spending this time in fellowship with You. To be willing to sit here and soak You in-to soak in every word You speak to me today. I don’t want to rush my time with You. I want to savor it and delight in it as if I was actually sitting at Your feet like Mary did all those years ago. So clear my mind of distractions and tune my heart to You.”
God used that moment of stopping and writing out this prayer to draw me in and keep the outside world away as I once again turned to God’s Word. My reading in Ezekiel had me asking Him questions as there were things I just didn’t understand-and still don’t. Over and over throughout Ezekiel I have been reading of the Sovereign LORD and I am latching on to that right now. God being Sovereign. And in today’s reading I was struck how Tyre made itself out to be god-that all it had, riches, beauty, etc, were somehow a product of its own making rather than the blessings of the Sovereign LORD and I wonder if perhaps that is why Jesus said it is so hard for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven; they begin to think it is all about what they have done rather than what God has provided. There is a warning there for me I would be wise to consider.
The next passage that jumped out to me was Hebrews 11:24-27.
It was by faith that Moses, when he grew up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to share the oppression of God’s people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin. He thought it was better to suffer for the sake of Christ than to own the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his great reward. It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger. He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible.
The line that really caught my attention was “he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible.” That really seems to hit on a problem we face as followers of Christ. How do we keep our eyes focused on someone we cannot see. That is why I sometimes struggle to focus when I sit down to read my Bible. I am in a relationship with someone that I cannot visit with face to face-I can’t even call Him up on the phone and have a conversation. But that makes my time in God’s word all the more important, otherwise it is simply a one-sided conversation.
I would encourage you, dear reader, that if you are struggling with this time in the Word that you stop and pray. Have a little talk with Jesus and just see what He does for you as you pick up your Bible and begin reading.
May grace, peace, and mercy from God our Father and Lord Jesus Christ be upon you dear reader.
Debra
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