Read: Psalm 119:1-40 & 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
9 How can a young man keep his way pure?
By guarding it according to your word.
10 With my whole heart I seek you;
let me not wander from your commandments!
11 I have stored up your word in my heart,
that I might not sin against you. (Psalm 119:9-11)
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
On March 22, 1922, US Postmaster Hubert Work ordered that all homes in our
country must have mailboxes. This created a greater connection between people We live in quite a different world now from then. Checking the mailbox may still be a daily ritual for most, but it’s far from our primary connector. Rather our phones and our televisions act as primary connectors to others and the world, and they own our attention far more than a once a day check.
The Psalmist speaks of a love for the Word which transforms his heart, viewing God’s law as the most precious thing in life. He cannot go a day or even less without thinking on and acting out the truth of the Word. Remember, for the writer the Word here wouldn’t even include most of what we have as the Bible as it hadn’t been written. So rooted and rich are his meditations on the Word, that even with mostly law and early Bible stories, he believes the Word is the most important thing in his life.
Paul encourages the church in Thessalonica to pray without ceasing. His consistent prayer and communication with God went with him everywhere, including into the pit of prison after being beaten and chained.
Applying these verses to our lives through the illustration of communication, it seems that the Christian connection to the Lord is more cell phone than mailbox. We don’t merely check in with the Lord on our once a day walk to the spiritual mailbox, but maintain consistent connection with our great God.
Where are you in regard to staying connected with the Lord through His Word and Prayer? Have you developed at least a daily check in with the Lord? What could that look like? What is keeping you from that step?
If you are having a daily time of some sort with the Lord, how can you move Him from a spiritual “mailbox” to a consistent “cell phone notification?” What things will you do to remind yourself of God’s Word regularly? Maybe try an app like “Gotandem” if you are a phone user, or just place verses on post-its around your world.
What things can you do to remember to pray throughout the day? Sometimes picking a different thing each week as a prayer reminder can help. For example, this week every time you hear a siren you will take a moment to thank God for your life and ask Him to lead you to use it for His glory.
The way in which we all pursue constant contact with the Word and prayer will look different for all, but as believers it is something we pray we all pursue.