(Jer) 15:16 CJB “When I found your words, I devoured them; your words made me glad, they gave me joy; because, Adonai-Tzva’ot, you had me bear your name.”
Finding joy in God’s Word should be a normal part of the Christian life. Jeremiah didn’t merely read God’s words. He said he “devoured” them. They made him glad and gave him joy because through God’s Word, Jeremiah knew the God whose name he bore.
That’s remarkable considering Jeremiah’s circumstances.
He wasn’t enjoying an easy life.
Jeremiah was rejected, opposed, ridiculed, and burdened by the message God had called him to proclaim. Yet in the middle of difficulty, he found something that gave him joy:
God had spoken.
And Jeremiah wanted every word.
Finding Joy in God’s Word Begins With Hunger
Men understand hunger.
When we’re hungry, nobody has to remind us repeatedly to eat.
We find food.
Jeremiah describes that kind of appetite for Scripture: “I devoured them.”
Yet many Christians who claim to want a deeper relationship with God spend surprisingly little time reading what God has revealed about Himself.
We wouldn’t expect to know another person deeply without listening to him.
Why would knowing God be different?
Scripture isn’t merely information about God.
Through Scripture, God reveals His character, His purposes, His commands, His promises, and ultimately His Son.
Jesus said: “The Scriptures bear witness to me.” John 5:39
The goal isn’t merely knowing the Bible better.
The goal is knowing God better through the Bible.
Knowing God Should Produce Loving God
Something happens when God’s people consistently encounter Him in His Word.
They see His holiness.
His grace.
His patience.
His justice.
His kindness.
His mercy.
His faithfulness.
And above all, they see Jesus.
The more clearly believers understand who God truly is, the more reason they have to love Him.
That’s why finding joy in God’s Word is about more than completing a daily Bible-reading assignment.
God’s Word should lead to relationship.
Relationship should lead to love.
And love should lead to obedience.
Jesus said: “If you love me, you will keep my commands.” John 14:15 CJB
Bible reading that fills the mind but never changes the life misses God’s purpose.
Read. Respond. Obey.
One practical way to approach Scripture is to turn reading into conversation with God.
When Scripture reveals something wonderful about God, praise Him for it.
When it exposes sin, confess it.
When God gives a command, commit to obeying it.
When He gives a promise, trust Him.
When the text reveals something about Jesus, worship Him.
That changes Bible reading from merely getting through a chapter into meeting with God through what He has spoken.
And God’s commands aren’t intended to rob His people of joy.
John writes: “For loving God means obeying his commands. Moreover, his commands are not burdensome.” 1 John 5:3 CJB
God commands His people to love Him and love others. His ways lead toward the life humanity was created to live.
Don’t Settle for Knowing About God
There is no greater pursuit than knowing the living God.
And God hasn’t left humanity guessing about what He is like.
He has spoken.
The Scriptures reveal God’s character, God’s will, God’s salvation, and God’s Son so His people can know Him, love Him, obey Him, and experience the joy of belonging to Him.
The question isn’t whether God has spoken.
The question is whether we’re hungry enough to devour what He has said.
Run Today’s Play
Ask, do my Bible-reading habits demonstrate that I genuinely hunger to know God?
Read Scripture today asking one question: “God, what are You showing me about Yourself?”
Respond to what you read with one specific act of obedience or prayer.
Men, don’t read the Bible merely to finish today’s reading.
Devour God’s Word because you want to know the God who spoke it. Know Him better. Love Him more. Obey Him more faithfully.
That’s where Jeremiah found joy—and where we can too.
