How to Be Spiritually Renewed

Phillip Henry had a great idea for daily meditation. Two hundred years ago, he advised his children to take a verse of Psalm 119 every morning to meditate on, and so go over the Psalm twice in the year. "That will bring you to be in love with all the rest of the Scriptures," Mr. Henry promised.

(Every verse of Psalm 119 uses one of ten words for Scripture with the exception of verses 84 and 122.)

This may explain why his son Matthew loved the Word so much he wrote the Matthew Henry Commentaries we still use today.

Phillip Henry often said, "All grace grows as love to the word of God grows." Our spiritual renewal depends upon our desire for the Word. The introduction to Ezra in the Touchpoint Bible puts it this way: "All great spiritual movements or revivals must be built on a love for God's Word, the Bible, and a passion to live it and talk about it." 

Some years ago a friend said that she just wanted to be with the Lord and sense His presence, so she had begun taking her Bible with her to work and on her lunch hour found a time to be alone with God. "I sensed that God was pleased with my efforts to commune with Him," she said.

No doubt God was pleased. He notices our every expression of spiritual hunger no matter how small.

Revival begins in us when we take time to be in love with scripture.

Help us to remember, Lord, that our love for the Word is the measure of our love for You. 

"Happy are those who listen to me, watching for me daily at my gates" (Proverbs 8:34 NLT).