Yesterday we looked at Pleading Our Case from Job 23. There’s another gem in Job 23, one I would not have associated with Job:

But He knows the way that I take; When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold. My foot has held fast to His steps; I have kept His way and not turned aside. I have not departed from the commandment of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth More than my necessary food. (Job 23.10 – 12, NKJV)

“I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.” Compare Matthew 4.4:

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (NIV)

Also Jeremiah 15.16:

Your words were found, and I ate them, And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; For I am called by Your name, O LORD God of hosts. (Jeremiah 15.16, NKJV)

That’s the attitude we should all have. I don’t miss meals! I ought not to miss time with God in the Word either.

My friend and Navigator colleague Bill Mowry has just posted a wonderful essay on God’s wonderful Word: WOW! Happens As We Hold the Bible. It’s worth the read in its entirety. Here’s a sample. After opening with the awe people feel at a total eclipse, he writes:

Wonder is the WOW factor. When we look up at the Sistine Chapel ceiling, savor a meal at a five-star restaurant, or sit enraptured at a Mozart symphony, our mouths form a wordless WOW. We stand in wonder at that which is beautiful and magnificent…

He continues:

The Bible brings God’s wonder, a sense of awe, into our lives. How is the Bible a wonder-full  and awe-full book? Here are some examples:

• Wonder is when, after years of life in the Bible, you still find new things when you read, hear, study, memorize or meditate on it. The wonder of discovery keeps drawing you back.
• Wonder is when you reflect on how you have changed over the years and how the Bible has been the impetus for change.
• Wonder is when you see new believers “hold” the Bible and change long-held values and behaviors as they read it. What a miracle!

The things that bring wonder to our lives also bring delight. – Bill Mowry, March 27, 2025

When Moses finished reciting all these words to all Israel, he said to them, “Take to heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you this day, so that you may command your children to obey carefully all the words of this law. They are not just idle words for you—they are your life. By them you will live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess.” (Deuteronomy 32.45 – 47, NIV)