Keep This Book
Tuesday, March 23
Keep This Book
This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Joshua 1:8
In the ancient Hebrew world, meditation always involved exercising and engaging the mind. This was the instruction God had given to Joshua before he crossed over into the Promised Land. God instructed Joshua to not to lose focus but, bring to memory God’s truth on this new leg of the journey. God called Joshua to vigorous and continual meditation: “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).
Deep meditation is not only good for the mind but it restores the spirit. The passage also states the purpose of meditation, that is, obedience to God’s Word, which produces prosperity and success before God.
The key to a prosperous way, the key to good success is meditating on the book of the law, meditating on the word of God, and being careful to do according to what you read. There. What does it mean to meditate? It means we don’t just read the Bible, we soak it in. We let it become a part of us. We memorize it in some ways, we reflect on it in every way.
Let me encourage you in your Bible reading to meditate. Don’t just read through the Bible and check off a box. Chew. Chomp. Grind. Mull. Meditate, reflect on the Bible. Reflect on what you’re reading and allow it to sink into your soul.
That’s what Bible reading is. Bible reading, memorizing, studying, meditating, it’s all about eating God’s Word, letting them become to you a joy, the delight of your heart.
Prayer for today: Oh, God, help us to this. Heed your exhortation to Joshua, in Joshua Chapter 1, in each of our lives today. Help us to hear the book of the law, help us to hear your word, to soak it in, to understand it, to reflect on it, to apply it in our lives, to pray it, to hide it in our hearts, to speak about it in public and we trust that when we do, our way will be prosperous. We want prosperity according to your ways, not according to this world. In order to get to this place, Lord I know I need your Word to guide me Your ways. So make us a people who are marked by meditation on your word, day and night. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.