Matthew 4:4 The Word Waters My Soul
“Jesus answered, ‘It is written : “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God”’” (NIV).
These words were spoken to satan by Jesus when He was being tempted, and they ring true today. We have an entire book that contains sixty six specific messages penned by numerous writers over many, many years. This Holy collection provides us with God’s Words to humankind. I believe they were written over so many years by so many people so that we can see God’s love and care for us from many different perspectives of man. But God has only one perspective, and it can be stated simply as, “I created you, and I love you!”
I was watering our flowers this morning, and I had a thought that this watering can be compared to the food we get when we read the Word of God. While I am watering the flowers, they are receiving their refreshment directly from the faucet or watering can, and they can drink all they need to satisfy their immediate thirst. But some water is not immediately absorbed, but it goes into the soil so it can be drawn upon later when the flow of water is not present.
When I read the Word, I am immediately refreshed by the Word of God, and I rejoice in knowing that I am reading the very thoughts of God. He meant these words for me today, just as He meant them for all who read them whenever they read them. The words that the prophets and Jesus spoke were immediately absorbed by those who heard them, and they have been alive for thousands of years because they are relevant to everyone born of man.
Beyond the immediate blessing while reading the Word is the continued blessing we receive as we think about those words over the next few days or even weeks sometimes. Frequently I receive a revelation about the Scripture that I read several days later. It has been demonstrated to me many times that the Holy Scriptures have more layers of meaning that I can possibly absorb at one sitting. I need to stretch my roots deeper in order to glean the refreshing that has sunk deeper in my mind waiting for me to consider it. That’s also one way in which my Bible reading reminds me of a certain class of animals, the ruminates. I need to do as they do, bring back the nourishment that I haven’t yet fully digested and ruminate on it.
The thoughts I received as I was watering my plants this morning have served to remind me to look beyond the immediate blessing I get when I read His Word. There are always additional blessings waiting to be harvested.