“Some readers come to the Bible to gain insight or to learn truths and principles. However, coming to the Bible with your head can leave your heart untouched. There is so much more to gain from the Scriptures than truth about God. You can gain God Himself!
“The Scriptures have always been intended to direct our hearts to a Person…Jesus’ words to the Pharisees raise a frightening possibility: We can read the Bible avidly and never get to know the Lord. Even though Jesus is pointed to on almost every single page, it’s possible to read the words and never develop a burning-heart relationship with Him.
“Here’s the secret: Your reading in the word can be a dynamic and living encounter with the person of the Lord Jesus Christ! Don’t come to the word out of a sense of rote duty to knock off your daily quota of chapters; don’t come merely to master spiritual principles or to glean clever insights; come to gaze upon the majesty and mystery of the altogether Lovely One, the One who has captured your heart! He waits for you behind the veil, watching to reward those who pant and yearn for Him as for springs of living water. Come with a cry in your heart to see Him and know Him.
“It’s the opening of the Scriptures concerning Christ to the thirsty soul, through the power of the Holy Spirit, that gives the burning heart. This is the great pursuit of the secret place!
“My heart cries out, ‘I want to know You, Lord! I want to behold You in Your Scriptures. I want to know You and the fullness of Your power! Manifest Yourself to me in Your word, O my Lord!’ It is because of this heart-cry that I run into the secret place. I long for Him so much that I am lovesick with unfulfilled desires. ‘Oh, when will You come to me?’
“My experience has been that I don’t get to know Jesus better in prayer. Prayer is where I express my love according to how I have come to know Him. Prayer is love exchanged. But if I am to come to know Him better, I must approach His word and behold Him there. To know more of Christ requires revelation, and rev- elation usually requires meditation in the word.
“Oh, how we long to behold Him! I consider, with a certain kind of envy, the living creatures who do not turn from facing straight ahead no matter where they go (Ezekiel 1:12-17). Whether they go up or down, left or right, forward or backwards, their faces are constantly facing straight forward—at the throne! They have the glorious privilege of ever gazing upon the beauty of the King. Lord, this is how I want to live my life, too. That no matter where I go and what I do, my face might be fastened upon the throne and beholding the radiance of my beloved Lord.
“Jesus is stunning in His singular beauty and matchless majesty. And oh, what a privilege I have—to come to the secret place and gaze upon Him in the Scriptures, forever fascinated with the adventure of growing in the knowledge of Him who died for me!”—Bob Sorge
My Prayer
“Oh Lord, I desperately pray that I will grow in beholding You in Your Word. My heart ever aches for that deeper experience with You and what richness I will find as I gaze upon Your Word with an open heart and a yearning spirit. As I look upon You in Your Word, please visit me afresh and speak to my hungry soul anew. I don’t want a superficial encounter with Your Word. I don’t want to read so as to find messages for others. I don’t want to read to discover new secrets and mysteries. I just want to feel the warmth of Your presence and hear Your sweet words to my heart. I want to be the first partaker of any revelation and I ask for a pungent revelation that first brings personal change to my life, before transmitting to others. Let Your Word come alive to me, Lord. Let Your Word penetrate the depth of my soul and touch places that no human word could ever reach. Your Words are spirit and life, and in them are embodied Your Spirit and Your life. I don’t want to continue life without the daily fresh dews of heaven coming upon my parched life—dews that seep into my spiritual bones and marrows, bringing deep conditioning and reinvigoration. Oh God Almighty, open my eyes to excellent and divine truths whenever I sit before Your Word. Silence the crowd of chaotic voices around me that wants to draw me away from meditating quietly over Your Word. May I also grow in the personal discipline of waking up early enough to focus on Your Word…to drink in the wisdom in and from Your Word. In Jesus name. Amen.”
The Challenge
Learn to sit alone, sit away from people and sit quietly with God’s Word before You and a yearning for Jesus within Your heart. You will meet Him if you do this on a consistent basis. Amen.
0 Comments