Jeremiah’s Menu: Revisited

Eating God’s Word

Jeremiah’s menu

Your words came, and I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight. 

Jeremiah 15:16

Jeremiah was an Old Testament prophet at a critical time in the history of God’s people. He was one of the last prophets in Jerusalem before its walls fell before the Babylonian army.

While planted in a land of promise, the Jews wandered far from God and His truth. They rejected His way, exchanged His blessing for a curse, and opened the door to the enemy. Jeremiah was God’s truth-teller at the time, but no one wanted to hear what he had to say. For his faithfulness, he ended up persecuted, arrested, thrown in a pit. It was a tough calling.

Yet, even in his heartbreak, the Weeping Prophet found comfort in God’s promises, hope for the future. Not just reading, but consuming Scripture fueled his life, readied him for whatever circumstance he faced.

Jeremiah’s menu… his sustenance for life… was God’s Word…

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Eating God’s Word

Eating the Word of God is a lot like eating food. Only with our eyes and mind, instead of our mouth and stomach. We taste it by reading. Chew on it through meditation. We ingest it making it part of our thoughts and fueling our will. Food nourishes our bodies. God’s Word nourishes our souls.

Deriving nourishment from God’s Word requires a little more conscious activity than from food. Our stomach takes over with food, turning it into energy, and we don’t think about it much unless it’s tainted with very unfriendly bacteria or makes us gassy. Scripture, on the other hand, requires more chewing than most food (think Laffy Taffy). And the essential benefits can only be extracted through obedience.

The meditation process — reading and rereading, bringing it to mind over and over, praying about what you’ve read, listening for the Holy Spirit’s guidance — helps apply God’s Word to our lives. When God reveals the nutritional value in what we’ve eaten (spiritually speaking) it’s time to act: Living it out through obedience.

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I’ve been dining on God’s Word for about 26 years now, and some meals are more palatable than others. But, ultimately, when the portion is fully digested I find joy, and my heart delights in drawing closer to God.

The invitation is always open to feast at His table, partake of His Word. I encourage you to join me. He says you won’t be disappointed.

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Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.

Psalm 34:8

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The first entry. The Introduction. The beginning of my Medium journey: Creating a new devotional.

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