“How to Delight in the Word” By Emily Schuitema
“For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man.”
Romans 7:22
Have you ever wondered practically delighting in the law of the Lord day and night may look like? How do we do it? Read on to learn a few ways to delight in the Word.
Memorizing Scripture
We’ve just come out of a series in 2 Peter where pastor Chris challenged us to memorize 2 Peter 1:3-11. If you’ve taken the time to memorize any of 2 Peter 1, you’ve probably found that memorization is an incredible tool to help us meditate on the word day and night. Since it’s already in your brain, what if, when you’re up in the middle of the night and can’t sleep – with those crazy fast and irrational thoughts racing through your mind – you use it as a perfect opportunity to change the channel and begin to tell your brain what to think. Begin whispering to your mind, “his divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness….” say it over and over. Mull it in your sleepless mind.
Redeeming Downtime
Or, as you’re driving, instead of thinking through the list of to-dos or replaying past conversations or maybe instead of reading the billboards or checking out the new versions of the cars passing by, begin reciting, “…make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, virtue with…” Chew on it. Repeat it.
Perhaps it happens on lunch break – you pull out your lunch and phone to scroll and relax. Instead, you pause and click on the Bible on your phone and have the audio version of 2 Peter read to you as you eat lunch.
Maybe you just settled kiddos into naps or rest time, as you load the lunch dishes and begin to tidy up, you remind your heart, “For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our lord Jesus Christ”.
You could be making dinner, cleaning up, folding laundry, mowing the lawn, or just plopping on the couch at the end of the day. In those moments, force your mind to talk to you. “If anyone does not have these qualities….”
Learning How to Delight
Whatever you are doing, wherever you are doing it, if you have any scripture locked in your brain, you can meditate on the Word day and night.
And here’s a promise from Jeremiah:
Your words were found, and I ate them,
and your words became to me a joy
and the delight of my heart,
for I am called by your name,
O LORD, God of hosts.
Jeremiah 15:16
Your words became to me. As we choose to make our minds rehearse and recall scripture already memorized, those words become to us a joy and a pleasure, they satisfy our souls.
Teaching our brains what we want to think about is the process Paul talks about in Romans 12:2: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of our minds.” The result is that we are literally transformed when we choose to rest our minds on the Word.
For the last two months, our church walked through memorizing a passage together. Let’s now put it to use!
Even if you only memorized the first couple of verses – you have the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God in you. You have everything you need to change the channel on whatever your mind is resting on, and switch it to think about the scripture you memorized. As you recite the passage and meditate on it, it soaks into your soul.
David says it this way as a prayer and reminder to his soul: “My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips, when I remember you upon my bed and meditate on you in the watches of the night (Psalm 63:5-6).”
Delighting in the law of the Lord is possible. It is satisfying. And it transforms us into his image one degree of glory at a time, that we might display his glory more and more each day.
