Meditation Brings Blessings 4 When I heard this about the people of Jerusalem and about the wall, I sat down and cried. I was very sad. I fasted and prayed to the God of heaven for several days. 5 Then I prayed this prayer: “Lord, God of heaven, you are the great and powerful God. You are the God who keeps his agreement of love with people who love you and obey your commands. 6 “Please open your eyes and ears and listen to the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night. I am praying for your servants, the Israelites. I confess the sins we Israelites have done against you. I am confessing that I have sinned against you and that the other people in my father’s family have sinned against you. 7 We Israelites have been very bad to you. We have not obeyed the commands, rules, and laws you gave your servant Moses. Nehemiah 1:4-7 Our time spent with the Lord has a dramatic impact on our daily life. When we set aside periods to meditate upon His Word and listen to what Hes telling us, well start to notice both subtle and dramatic changes taking place. First, well begin to gain a godly perspective. Certainly the apostle Paul was mindful of this; he actively prayed for himself and others to have the Lords outlook (Eph. 1:16-19). When we start to see with enlightened eyes, the world—along with its joy and pain—becomes much clearer, as does our understanding of how to deal with circumstances. Second, spending time with God causes the pressures of life to dissipate. Jesus warned His disciples that they would face trouble in this world (just as all of us will), but He assured them that they had no real reason to be afraid. Why fear a foe that Christ has already conquered (John 16:33)? Third, meditation brings peace. In this troubled world, we frequently find ourselves in need of a tranquil heart, which can be attained only through Jesus (John 14:27). Paul tells us that the world is not even capable of understanding Gods peace (Phil. 4:7), let alone able to offer us any kind of authentic serenity. While a desire for personal reward should not be our only reason for spending time with the Lord, there are indeed wonderful blessings in store for those who meditate on His Word. Tomorrow we will consider more of the rewards that await believers who dwell on the Scriptures.
Posted on: Thu, 13 Mar 2014 17:25:38 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015