Our Daily Bread - Spiritual Life BasicsSample

IV. Exchanging Human Strength for Divine Strength

“Those who wait on the Lord shall renew [exchange] their strength” (Isaiah 40:31 NKJV).

Isaiah believed that waiting on the Lord was anything but a passive process. This idea of “staying power” required a radical exchange of human for divine strength. The Hebrew word for renew means “to substitute, to exchange, to show newness, to sprout.”

The Christian is not supposed to stir up his or her willpower but, instead, is to exchange human energy for divine energy.

Another student at a Christian college had a discipline problem when it came to studying. Activities with his friends competed with getting assignments in on time and being fully prepared for exams.

One night after class, the young man discussed his problem with one of his professors. After talking to him, the student felt compelled to single out his devotional time as the top priority of the day. It would be the one project he planned on getting done first thing every morning.

The next day as he began the new commitment to prioritize his quiet time, he found a sudden sagging of resolve. He just didn’t feel like it. He wasn’t in the mood.

Claiming Isaiah 40:31, he decided to become transparent with the Lord and “exchange his own strength” for God’s. The young man told God that his heart was cold and he felt little motivation to spend time with Him. He confessed his apathy as sin and thanked God for His forgiveness (1 John 1:9).

Then the student chose to surrender his mood to God and asked Him to change it. He asked God to replace his own stagnation with His spiritual vitality. The student read through the biblical passage that he was scheduled to read, and he recommitted himself to pray for transformation.

After about 20 minutes of this, the young man began to pray over other projects that needed his attention later in the day. He told God about assignments he didn’t want to do and asked Him for the strength necessary to deal with them.

By the time the young man’s feet hit the asphalt on his way to class, he began to feel an energy, a focus, and, most important, a discipline that he had previously lacked. That semester his grades went up. He had found a way of exchanging his own strength for that of the living God.

V. Cultivating Two-way Communication

Have you ever opened your heart to someone in a letter? You probably felt vulnerable as you waited for a response. How would you have felt if the written response to your letter ignored everything you had said but talked only about issues concerning the other person?

This could be the view from heaven as many a quiet time goes on day in and day out. The Bible is a love letter from our heavenly Father. Yet too often our prayers do not reflect the actual portion of Scripture we have read. Instead, the content of the love letter is ignored as our many pressing needs are petitioned upward. What needs to happen, however, is spiritual two-way communication.

• God speaks to us through His Word.

First Samuel 3:21 says that “the Lord revealed Himself to Samuel . . . by the word of the Lord.” The Hebrew word for reveal means “to show or uncover.” The Creator discloses His thoughts, character, and will through His Word. In biblical history, God either spoke directly or inspired His meanings into the sacred text. Today, He illuminates the Bible so we can have our understanding enlightened by the Holy Spirit as we read it.

In approaching a portion of Scripture, there is a time-honored process that can help make examining the Word of God fruitful.

First of all, we need to ask, “What does the passage say?” We answer this by looking at the actual words of the text as they are used in context. Allow the Bible message to speak for itself in its original historical and cultural setting. For example, let the Bible character wear his robe and sandals instead of expecting him to wear a business suit.

The second step is to ask, “What does it mean?” Within the Bible passage is an eternal spiritual truth that is meaningful in all ages. Often the main idea is not time bound to an era hundreds of years ago but can be seen in our own time’s contemporary clothing.

Finally, we need to ask, “How does it apply?” The indwelling Holy Spirit will change our thoughts, speech, and behavior when we allow Him to apply the spiritual principles we find in God’s Word. A key question to ask is, “In what measurable ways should my life change as a result of studying this passage?”

• We respond to God in prayer.

Now let’s look at our conversational response to God. Daniel 6:10 says that Daniel “prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days” (NKJV). During his established time of prayer, Daniel undoubtedly petitioned God about his own personal needs and interceded on behalf of the needs of others.

As Daniel was making his requests known to God, a spirit of thanksgiving permeated his prayer time. The whole idea of giving thanks carries with it the idea of gratefully responding to God for gifts already given. It is part of the dialogue that expresses appreciation. Immersion in the Word has a way of serving as a springboard of praise to God for Who He is and for what He has done.

VI. Taking Time to Digest Your Meal

“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).

When encountering the pages of the Bible, it’s so easy to skim over a given passage without seeing its significance. But the prophet Jeremiah, with his deep love for the Word of God, made God’s Word his first priority. The Hebrew word translated “were found” means both “to acquire and secure” and “to encounter and meet.” When looking at a passage, we should slow down and acquaint ourselves with the text until it becomes secured in our soul.

Jeremiah felt a rush of “joy and rejoicing” as he ingested God’s Word into his heart. The word the prophet used for heart means “the inner man; thinking; reflection at the seat of appetites.” The Word of God nourishes our thoughts and emotions and brings joy.

The foundation for delighting in feeding on God’s Word can be seen in the concluding section of this small but meaningful verse: “I am called by Your name, O Lord God of hosts.” To Jeremiah, meaningful time in God’s Word is always tied to our relationship with Him. In our devotional time, we become aware once again that we are called by the eternally existing Lord of heaven and earth. And this realization transforms our spiritual dryness into a dynamic encounter with the One Who created us for fellowship with Him.

VII. Writing it Down

There are some advantages to taking notes on your personal time with the Lord. Our thoughts and feelings are a constantly revolving door of varied life experiences. If we have a written record of what is covered in our quiet time, various trends in our walk of faith will be revealed. In addition to this, we will see what progress has been made in different areas of our lives that would go unnoticed if it were not written down.

The kinds of things you might want to record include the date, the passage read, and a verse or sentence that spoke to you. You also might want to write down any insights you gained, any application you feel you should make to your life, and how you talked to God about this matter in prayer.

VIII. Varying Your Methods

There are many devotional guides available today.  My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers is a devotional classic adapted for a daily quiet time. Other books include a selection of readings for going through the Bible in one year.

The devotional booklet series Our Daily Bread uses relevant inspirational stories to draw lessons from a suggested Bible reading. One reason for the popularity of this kind of guide is that it has a short, memorable lesson that is both inspiring and applicable to daily life. If you use one of these devotional guides, be sure to read the Bible passage along with the stories that illustrate the biblical truth. God has promised to bless His Word, not our illustrations about it (2 Timothy 3:15-16).

There are a variety of methods for having effective devotional times and Bible study, that there’s bound to be a suitable approach for you. Whatever the method you use, spending time with God to experience His presence, comfort, and guidance is the goal.

The key to experiencing God’s presence in this way is not so much about the method as it is about being faithful to your commitment to foster a growing relationship with God, the Father. He loves His children and desires to be personally involved with each of us. That relationship will deepen when we respond to His invitation to spend time with Him.