Compartmentalizing God's Law

I will have you know, Sisters, that this is me, stepping out of my comfort zone, and following that soft whisper in the wind known as The Lord's Voice...

I say this because I have marked up Joshua 1:9 something fierce!  I struggle with fear, and so this verse, along with several others, are repeated often in my head as my own little God Cheers, helping me to keep moving along.  And, it was one of the first verses my daughters memorized, so the "cute" song that goes along with it is resonating through my mind as I type...

But those are not the words that I was to meditate on this week.

Those are not the words that the Lord wanted me to really soak in.

"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."

I have disciplined myself to wake up early and study God's Word.  Most mornings I am excited to get up and see what the Lord has in store for me - in the morning.  And I soak it up!  It is quiet all over my house.  It is dark (but getting lighter).  And the coffee is like manna in mouth!

And then "the clock says a 7" (my girls have to stay in their rooms until 7:00 am), and the house comes to life, and for the rest of the day, my focus seems to shift from my Lord to my life.

But that is not what these words from the Lord say.  And this is not the only mention of meditating on the Lord's law in the morning and at night:

"But his delight is in the law of the the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night."

Psalm 1:2

Is this what I do?  Am I meditating on God's Word, on God's Law throughout my day?  Or am I compartmentalizing God's Authority to my morning routine?  Don't get me wrong: We are a faith-based family.  I have little Scripture Printables all over my house.  I have the "As for me and my house..." framed in my entry way with a photo of the Bible we buried under our house when we built it.  We even have the three-piece Cross, Nails, and Thorns that we got as a wedding gift hung up in the hallway.  But am I taking time to be still throughout the day and really meditate on God's Words?

My favorite Bible Commentary author, Matthew Henry, says this on:

"Joshua is to make the law of God his rule. He is charged to meditate therein day and night, that he might understand it. Whatever affairs of this world we have to mind, we must not neglect the one thing needful. All his orders to the people, and his judgments, must be according to the law of God. Joshua must himself be under command; no man's dignity or dominion sets him above the law of God. He is to encourage himself with the promise and presence of God. Let not the sense of thine own infirmities dishearten thee; God is all-sufficient. I have commanded, called, and commissioned thee to do it, and will be sure to bear thee out in it. When we are in the way of duty, we have reason to be strong and very bold. Our Lord Jesus, as Joshua here, was borne up under his sufferings by a regard to the will of God, and the commandment from his Father." (Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible by Matthew Henry - emphasis my own)

My take-away: God's Word is not to be compartmentalized.  His Words, His Law should be resonating though my soul all day.  It should be pounding through me and radiating from me.  I should be so full of His Truth that I become a Light to this dark world around me.  And my "stuff" should never consume me, preventing me from remembering His Law.

And so this day begins...it's a 7, and my sweet 4-year old is snuggled up beside me waiting for her mama to get breakfast and start the day.  Going forward I will try to think back on these words and remember that the Lord does not just want me for a few hours in the morning.  He wants me for every hour I am on this earth.

This morning I am joining other women as we reflect on Joshua 1:8-9 at She Reads Truth.