This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success. (Joshua 1:8 NAS95)
God speaks assurance to Joshua as the leadership of Israel falls on his shoulders. Moses, Joshua’s friend, has passed away. In this context, God informs Joshua that He will be with him, just as He was with Moses. At the same time, God asks Joshua to meditate on His law, His word. Joshua’s mind and heart were to be filled with God’s words, taken into every situation, processed and understood by application, fostering wisdom through obedience. Such a process would allow Joshua to become familiar with God’s heart and desires, resulting in a very personal and deep understanding of God.
Part of this command to meditate touches remembering the presence of God for Joshua and part of it seems to generate prayer, conversation with God as Joshua navigated life. In every situation he’d encounter, Joshua reflected on God’s desires, maybe even wondering how to live that out in his immediate context. Joshua would be engaged with God, deep in his soul, in an invisible conversation that would guide him, making clear God’s presence with him and ultimately his success. Joshua, in becoming familiar with God’s desires and his experience of them, transformed those desires into his own. More than that, Joshua would know God. Meditation, ruminating on God’s Word as we live, fosters, deep in the soul, a conversation with God about life and His love for us. That spells success!
For Reflection:
“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer.” (Psalms 19:14 NAS95)
- What has happened when you’ve turned your most inner wonderings and questions into prayers before God, as you’ve carried scripture in your heart into various situations?
- As you meditate on God's Word, pay attention to the questions arising about you, your life, your work, or who God is. What sort of shaping is God desiring to do in you?
