Devour
When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart's delight, for I bear your name, Lord God Almighty. Jeremiah 15:16
How sweet are Your words to my taste--sweeter than honey in my mouth! Psalm 119:103
Insight
As my ever-expanding waistline can attest, I love to eat. God equipped me with a bottomless pit for a belly and a hollow leg. If there is such thing as spirit animals, mine would have to be the Hungry Hippo.
Okay, you get the point. I have an insatiable appetite when it comes to food. Yet, in terms of feeding my soul, I can sometimes find myself malnourished.
God invites us to taste and see that He is good. Other parts of Scripture compare reading God's Word to the delightful taste of honey. During the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus promises those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will find themselves filled.
In today's passage, the prophet Isaiah talks about eating God's Word, with some translations being a bit more descriptive and saying Isaiah "devoured" it. He consumed Scripture and let the wisdom and insight sustain his faith while facing persecution.
To devour something isn't passive; it takes effort and involves rolling up our sleeves and delving in. It is one thing to read or hear the Bible; it is another thing to feast upon it.
The reality is we can remain spiritually skinny while reading Scripture. When there is no thought, regularity, or investment in what we read, we settle for appetizers instead of the satisfaction and nourishment of an entire meal. Instead, we should continually chew on the implications an encounter with Christ's forgiveness and love has on how we see ourselves, others, and the world around us.
A growing relationship with Christ is the only thing capable of silencing those hunger pains for connection to our Creator, wisdom for our lives, and purpose for our steps. So, the time has come to eat up.
Reflection
Where do you find yourself hungry for wisdom and discernment?
How can you cultivate an appetite for Scripture to satisfy this hunger?
Prayer
God, I hunger to know You more - to taste and see that You are good. Allow Your Word to bring nourishment to my soul. Help me to trust that You satisfy my every longing. In Your name Jesus. Amen.