In early September, Tara and I were invited to speak and lead worship for a wonderful bunch of college student leaders at NYACK College in New York! We had some OUTRAGEOUS times of worship and prayer as the student leaders put their hearts before God and prepared themselves for the year! The theme was “Joshua” and we spoke a LOT about what it looks like to pursue genuine friendship with Jesus. Joshua 1:7-9 says: “7 Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses, My servant, commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
We talked with the students about how meditating on God’s Word is a GREAT way to flourish in friendship with God. A natural bi-product of meditating on God’s Word is that we make our way prosperous and we’ll have good success in life. Interestingly, it doesn’t say that when we meditate on God’s Word, God will make our way prosperous or bring success to us, it says that we will make our way prosperous and then we’ll have good success. There are two times in Joshua’s story that things did NOT go very well. Once at the city of Ai, and again with the people of Gibeon. If God told Joshua, “Hey man, if you mediate on My Word day and night, you’ll make your way prosperous and you’ll have good success!” and then we see some gnarly stuff float into Joshua’s story, what can we assume? That he wasn’t mediating on God’s Word day and night! FASCINATING!!! I want to invite you to try mediating on God’s Word as a daily rhythm! Apparently, it works… If you want to blab with me more about what Biblical meditation looks like, shoot me an email! I’d love to hear from you! Dave@worshipandtheword.com