WHEN IT DOESN’T MEAN ANYTHING
Christine Wyrtzen
Make me understand the way of your precepts, and I will meditate on your wondrous works. Psalm 119:27
I used to be immersed in a Bible-study environment. My husband and I worked for a large Christian ministry for the first many years of our marriage. There was a seminary on the premises as well as an adult conference facility. The best Bible teachers, heavyweights for that time period, were frequent guests; Charles Ryrie, Vance Havner, Lehman Strauss. The air was supercharged with excitement over who was going to be teaching next. I was caught up in political correctness, feigning enthusiasm with the crowd. I sat in the meetings, took notes, tried to psyche myself that what I was hearing was exciting yet, though I was certainly learning doctrine, my own soul was not affected by what I was hearing. Did I go away and meditate on any of it? No. What consumed my thoughts was the need to belong to the crowd who thought it wonderful to be sitting under such excellent teaching.
David asks for God’s help in today’s scripture. He petitions for spiritual understanding of the scriptures so that he will be able to meditate in a heartfelt way. Understanding precedes meditation. Truth must always be a heart thing!
That’s what was lacking for me all those years. Because scripture had never been personalized, and without personalization - scripture remains impersonal, the scripture was nothing more than a church history course. I had to scan many chapters to find a verse that was, at the very least, inspirational. On a good day, it was intellectually stimulating but the impact ended there.
How can we interact with the scriptures in a way where we are changed? How can we become passionate about God's Word? Here's a primer course. 1. Set aside 15 minutes with God. 2. Ask God to open your heart. 3. Take a short passage of scripture and meditate on it as you read it slowly. Taste it and savor it. 4. Look for your head/heart conflict. Do you know the truth of what you're reading and yet you have to admit that your heart disbelieves it? 5. Define your need as a result of the conflict. "I don't believe this in my heart because . . . " 6. Put it all together into a prayer. Voice your need. Affirm the truth. Pray the scripture.
The supernatural power of God's Word is rendered powerless in my life when I have no need of it.
Lord, transformation began when you showed me my need of You. Thank you for every single crisis that drove me to you. Amen
Originally published Friday, 08 June 2018.
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