He’s saying to these Christians, who are being persecuted, “I see what you’re up against, and I’m asking God to do something special for you. May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s patience.” The whole point is that our heavenly Father is able to give His children the love and patience we desperately need.
3. We can ask God to give us what we do not have.
If these Christians were brimming with love and overflowing with patience, there would be no need for this prayer. So, what’s the point of this prayer? Paul is asking God to give them what they do not have: “Lord, give us the love and patience we need. You have love and patience in abundance. We don’t. Give us what we do not have.” This is a wonderful prayer.
You, too, can ask God to do this for you by praying: Lord, fill my dried-out heart with Your love. Fill this frantic life with the peace and the patience of Christ.
These observations form a very simple meditation on this one verse of Scripture.
Feed Your Soul
I want to encourage you to make simple observations for yourself as you read the Bible every day. Read a few verses. Then pick one, and write out two or three sentences to restate and apply what it says. Children can do this!
Get a hardback notebook. Write out the verse. Then write out, in your own words, what the verse says and how it helps you. As you begin this practice, twenty years from now it will be your joy to look back on what God has taught you.
Don’t just read the Bible and rush on. Take what God is saying into your life. Do this for a few minutes every day, or at least start by doing this a few times a week. As you do this, you will get better at it. God’s Word will bear fruit in your life.
Some of you are in the habit of reading devotionals. That’s good, but if you have been doing that for many years it may be time for you to move beyond feeding your soul on other people’s thoughts.
Feed your soul on the Word of God directly. Ask God to help you. Get a friend to encourage you. A year from now, you will be amazed at how much you have grown.
This article on how to feed your soul originally appeared here.
