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| Previous Next Scripture tells of many prayers--urgent requests to God for help. In All Things Are Possible, author Daniel Partner tells of devotional meaning in seventy-five of these prayers. Partner's insightful, accessible readings show that no human problem is unique and that God hears believers' prayers. Not only can the answers be miraculous--prayer itself is a miracle. While reading All Things Are Possible, Christians will see their own struggles in the prayers of biblical characters, be encouraged to lift their voices to heaven like the saints of old, and embrace Jesus' promise: "All things are possible to him who believes" (Mark 9:23 NASB). This devotional employs various translations of Scripture. Soft cover from Barbour Publishing, Inc., copyright 2002 |
"DAY FORTY-EIGHT"
Thy words were found,
and I did eat them; and thy word
was unto me the joy and rejoicing
of mine heart: for I am called by thy name,
O Lord God of hosts.
- JEREMIAH 15:16
I once leafed through a book catalog and marveled at the number of multi-volume Bible commentaries that it offered. There must have been dozens of them, each composed of five or ten volumes or more. They were written by all kinds of people. Each author spent years of his life studying the Bible, organizing all he learned, and writing it down for others. I wondered who reads these works and who receives help from them.I have never worked on such books, but I have written, edited, and contributed to numerous books for Christian readers-Bibles, Bible storybooks, books of prayers and poems and devotional readings. I'd like to tell you a secret: The person who gets the most out of a book about the Bible is the author of that book.
The reason this is true is given by Jeremiah: "Thy words were found, and I did eat them." The author labors in the pages of the Bible with prayer and study until the words printed there come alive. Then he declares to God, "Thy words were found" by me, and I didn't just taste them, I ate them! They were food to a hungry man. I savored your words. Then I chewed and digested them. They nourished me and have become a part of me. Thy word is "unto me the joy and rejoicing of my heart."My brother-in-law knows exactly when and where to collect wild berries, nuts, mushrooms, and other edibles. He can walk through the Oregon woods and come out well fed. If I were to walk through the same bunch of trees, I would find nothing to eat, but he has spent untold hours in the forest and easily finds food there. I encourage you to go into the Bible, spend time there, and, like brother-in-law in the forest, find food. Do you have a Bible that doesn't have footnotes or study helps? Use that Bible and a concordance. That's all you need. Pray and consider only one verse. Look up its cross references. Ask the Lord to make it live for you. Compare different translations. Pray for its meaning. In other words, find it and eat it. God deeply desires to hear you say, "Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart." Click here to send this devotion to a friend!
