Finding Pleasure in God’s Word
Sometimes the Lord speaks to me in dreams. No, I don’t mean in some “fruity” kind of way…I mean legitimately. I suppose I should pause here for the disclaimer…Yes—the Lord can speak to us in dreams. No, not every dream you or I have is from the Lord. Yes, dreams from the Lord occur in both Old and New Testament. Yes, receiving a dream from the Lord IS Biblical. And finally, YES, God does still speak in this way in current days, but it is not something that should be taken lightly, and the dream—if it is from the Lord—should be tested against Scripture…if it does not align with God’s Word then it is NOT from the Lord.
That being said, I had a dream from the Lord a few months ago and I feel on my heart just now a compulsion to share part of it with you. So, here it is: I was in a little house on the side of a very, very tall mountain and it was situated way above the layer of clouds that covered the valley and city below. In the dream I understood that I lived there in that house; it was my home. It was a simple home but peaceful and calm, beautiful and serene…truly lovely.
At a certain point in the dream, I was in the kitchen of this home and walked over to the refrigerator, sat down cross-legged in front of it, opened the door, and a bright light poured from within. Inside, the shelves were lined with fruit—delicious and tasty—and as I surveyed the contents, I understood that I was allowed to pick from it anything I wanted. And so I took my time doing so, knowing that I was about to feast and partake of the goodness there, and then I woke up.
Though the dream was much longer and parts of it are being revealed a piece at a time, the part about the refrigerator I understood right away. It was a deliberate instruction from the Lord of how I was to read His Word in this season of my life…I am sit and slowly take it in—I am NOT to rush through it! I am to eat of it—partake of it—but…very slowly. I am to meditate on it and chew on it so that it can bit-by-bit be digested and processed through my system and become nourishment for my soul.
I find this instruction very valuable and informative because it had been my plan just before this to read through the Bible again but to do so by doubling up on how many books and chapters I was reading at one time…but the Lord in His kindness said, “No, do it this way instead,” so I have, trusting Him to lead the way and, truly, I have enjoyed His Word more (as I eat of it slowly) than I ever have before.
The Psalmist says this: “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” Psalm 119:103 And Ezekiel records this: “Then he said to me, ‘Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it.’ So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth.” Ezekiel 3:3 Jeremiah shares this: “When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, Lord God Almighty.” Jeremiah 15:16
If I may,…two things: #1 What is God’s instruction to you right now in reading His Word—what is the plan? And #2 Are you enjoying it? Today, let’s find pleasure in eating of God’s Word and let’s allow it to nourish our souls.
Katie Botello
FBC Aztec Member