Feeding on God

I need to pass on a recommendation. Over the last year, I've begun to learn the benefits of praying through Scripture (or prayerful meditation). I did not come to this idea on my own. I read about it last year in John Piper's "When I Don't Desire God: How to Fight for Joy" and heard it again just this morning listening to Mike Bullmore's Na06 breakout message, "Feeding on God: Cultivating a Fruitful Life in the Word." In essence, prayerful meditation helps to prevent wandering thoughts and also teaches us the truth of God's Word in a greater way than only reading it does. Each time recently that I've prayed through a Bible passage after reading it in my devotions, I've found this to be true.

So why am I posting this? First, to encourage others toward prayerful meditation on Scripture, especially if you feel "stuck" in your devotional life right now. (In fact, I'd recommend listening to Mike Bullmore's message, available online for only $2--for that matter, download all 14 NA06 messages for only $10.) My second reason is that I have a new favorite Bible chapter, along with Romans 3, Romans 5, Romans 8 (can you guess what my favorite book is?), John 9, Ephesians 2, Philippians 4, Proverbs 30... anyway, in my devotions today I began reading Revelation. Though I've read this book multiple times, I don't think I'd ever stopped to think about the first chapter--certainly not as much as I did today. After reading most of chapter one several times over, and with Mr. Bullmore's exhortation still fresh in my mind, I decided to pray through it. It is so rich. Here is most of the chapter. Read it, but not too fast.

4 John to the seven churches that are in Asia:

Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth.

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood 6 and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. 7 Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.

8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

9 I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet 11 saying, “Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.”

12 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. 14 The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, 15 his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.

17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, 18 and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.”

Revelation 1:4-18, ESV

Read verses 5-8 and 12-18 again. Every word, every phrase that it says about our Savior is packed with significance. Just in verse 5 we read that Jesus is "the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth..." and the passage goes on. I would go on talking about it too, if I only could find fitting words. I might do a follow-up post on one particular description in this passage that I've been pondering, but rather than filling this page right now with my own words, let me end by again encouraging you to pray through Scripture passages.