I have been a member of a remarkably successful book club for the past two and a half years. We chose to read books by author Francine Rivers and what a gift she has of explaining people and situations that draw you in, hold your attention and cause you to think. The reading of her books has made for lively discussions so much so that we have almost reached the end of having read all her works and are clamoring for more! It is no small feat to keep 9-12 ladies in a group for more than two years. During this time, we have developed relationships that I can only describe as, “God sent”. We look so forward to meeting once a month and our discussions are lively and open and honest. It is the only time that we can legitimately gossip because we are only talking about a fictional book and not real people.
This morning I had the honor of meeting with another group of women. We met together for the purpose of prayer. During our discussion, the conversation before we prayed was steered to the importance of the word of God. We opened our bibles and took turns reading all 176 verses of Psalm 119. It was amazing that just by reading the scriptures out loud many received answers to the questions that they had been seeking the Lord for. There were several that stood out to me while we were reading i.e., Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You. I will meditate on Your precepts and contemplate Your ways. I will delight myself in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word. The entrance of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.
I cannot help but wonder if the revival that we (His church) need is a return to our first love. Revival, you see, often begins with a time of soul searching and repentance. We all need to repent for something. There are no exceptions. And after repenting and complete surrender, we ask the Lord to re-ignite his fire within us. Some will not admit that the fire within has just about been extinguished and all that remains are smothering embers. No fire just smothering embers! Oh, that He would set us ablaze once again and we would be able to say, Oh, how I love Your law. It is my meditation all the day. I will meditate on our precepts and contemplate Your ways. I will delight myself in Your statues; I will not forget Your word. My soul clings to the dust; revive me according to Your word. Anybody need a match?
