Your words were found, and I ate them, And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; For I am called by Your name, O Lord God of hosts. Jeremiah 15:16 (NKJV)
A long time ago, a man told me of a dream he had that involved me. In his dream he saw a scroll and on it was written the Word of God. As people were standing around to admire it, I walked in and shouldered my way through the crowd. I stopped, tore off a piece and started eating it.
I didn’t think much of this dream at first, but over time God showed me that this picture was from Him.
When I study the Word, I find it easy to get caught up in the absolute beauty of it. Although there is nothing wrong with enjoying the Word of God, its purpose is to be brought in, enjoyed…but then released so that it can go to work.
When you eat something, your body breaks the food apart into smaller, digestible bits, absorbing what it needs. The same is true with God’s Word. Reading it is like taking a bite of an apple. You still have to chew, swallow and then process that bite before your body can use it.
The real life-changing power of God’s Word can only take effect once you have meditated and absorbed what you can learn from it. Then you can put it into practice in your life.
It is better to read two verses a day and spend ten minutes talking to Holy Spirit about it than to read an entire book of the Bible without chewing on one word.
Do you stop to chew on God’s Word?