Receive from God

Years ago a friend encouraged me to “be intentional to position myself to receive from God”. These words have travelled with me through the years and been a source of inspiration in seasons I would describe as “spiritually dry”. My friend first spoke these words to me when we were discussing daily Bible reading: Do you read the Bible everyday even if you don’t “feel” like it?

At the time of this conversation I was feeling cautious not wanting to let Scripture reading become a duty when my heart longed for it to be a delight. And yet it didn’t feel like I delight, so maybe letting some days pass without reading the Bible at all was better than reading out of duty? Our feelings are never the complete picture, but they are important to recognize and acknowledge.

And yet, through this conversation my perspective began to shift. And instead of focusing so much on how I felt about Bible reading each day, I was able to approach God’s Word with more anticipation and desire than I had experienced before. As my consistency in the Word grew, so did my excitement over the things the Lord was teaching me through my time in the Word.

“Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it with good things” (Psalm 81:10b). Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!” (Psalm 34:8). God is ready to meet us and to fill us with Himself. He is good. He wants to bless us. He wants to be our place of refuge.

I’m so thankful for the wisdom and encouragement my friend shared with me all those years ago. The Word of God has been a source of comfort and wisdom and guidance and I’m grateful that the Lord has made it sweeter than honey and more desirable than gold (see Psalm 19:10).