Growling the Word

"But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do." --Psalm 1:2-3 (NLT)

This is an amazing promise for those who will act on it. Delight in the law of the Lord, meditate on it day and night, and you will prosper in all that you do. Who wants to prosper in 2017? Who wants to be like a tree on a riverbank, always green and always bearing fruit? Well, count me in!

Let's focus on the two conditional elements in these verses: #1 delight on the law, and #2 meditate on the law. The law of the Lord, of course, is the entire Word of God. What does it mean to delight in it and to meditate on it?

#1 Delight: We either delight or we don't. For me, coming to the Word of God each day is like a treasure hunt. When God's Spirit reveals a truth to me, I get excited--not unlike finding hidden treasure. If I'm needing to make a decision, and I find the answer in my daily reading, I delight in it! I approach the Word that way every day. I'm looking for guidance, for wisdom, for encouragement, and for changes I need to make. As God reveals, I delight in His words of life.

#2 Meditate: This is an interesting Hebrew word--"hagah". In addition to meaning meditation or consideration, it can also mean to speak, to moan, or to growl. So to begin with, I would suggest that our time in the Word should be spent vocalizing it. You may pop into the church office one afternoon and catch me pacing the hallway, reading my scriptures out loud--even shouting on occasion. The Bible is meant to be spoken and I can tell you from experience that I get a lot more out of it when I speak it. The moaning has to do with expressions of pleasure. What I really find interesting is the idea of "growling" the Word. What is that all about? I have a dog named Gavin who can make this idea perfectly clear. When Gavin is enjoying a bone, he doesn't wish to be disturbed. He will growl if you make a move towards him because he doesn't want to lose his bone. We should take the attitude of Gavin when we are in the Word. Enjoy it and don't let anyone or anything take it away from you.

So today and throughout all of 2017, Delight in the Word, Meditate on it, and get ready to prosper.