How many times do you hear a passage of Scripture but do not listen to what it says. Sadly that is our tendency. We read, we hear, but we do not listen or better said, we do not reflect on what we are hearing. In that regard I would like for you to try something different with me today.
First, you need to find twenty minutes without interruption (twenty minutes without the kids!) Next I want you to start reading Psalm 103 with focus. First, read it unhurriedly, considering what each verse says.
Second, meditate or reflect upon what you are reading. Stop periodically and consider what the passage is saying to you before you move on. You may find that you will need more than twenty minutes to read the complete psalm. That’s okay. If that is the case, put down the Scripture and come back to it again later; on another day if needed. You see, we know that Scripture is food for the soul but it was never meant to be fast-food.
Third, pray about the portion you have read. What does it say to you? What does it say about you and your relationship with God?
Lastly, give it a chance to sink in and become a part of you.
Here is the issue: when we study Scripture we have a tendency to try to master it. We do the hermeneutics and the exegesis and we try to get our arms around the Scripture so that we are prepared to teach it to anyone who would listen. Today I am asking you to let the Scriptures master you. Reflect on what you are reading and let it transform you. That is the true purpose of the Scriptures. As we said, Scripture is food for the soul, so let it feed you and change you.
We all know we are being sanctified and that we should be growing spiritually every day; God wants us to become more like Jesus. One of the ways that God transforms us is through the application of the Scriptures in our lives. We help in that process by meditating on what He says; praying about it, absorbing it, and allowing it to transform our outlook and our behavior. So start with Psalm 103 today and see how this concept/process feels. I hope it becomes a habit.
May God bless your reading of His Word.
– Carlos
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And all that is within me, bless His holy name.