All your words are true; all your righteous laws are eternal. - Psalm 119:160

It is clear from the Bible and from the experience of God's people, that as we seek God through His Word, our lives are changed. Of course our purpose in getting into the Word is not to become walking information booths with an answer for every question that comes along. We come to God's Word to become people who are more like Christ. We can see this influence of God's Word in the life of Daniel.

In Daniel 9:2 we read, "In the first year of [Darius the king], I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the Lord given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years." Here is Daniel, having his daily devotions in the writings of Jeremiah, when he discovered something that dramatically altered the course of his life. He believed what he read, he acted on it, and his life was changed.

Notice Daniel 9:3: "I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition." Communication from God was immediately followed by communion with God.

Through the Word and prayer, our spiritual life is strengthened. This leads to the result we find in Daniel 11:32: "The people who know their God will firmly resist [the enemy]."

To know the Lord is to love Him, and to love Him is to serve Him. So it begins with time in His Word, continues with time on our knees, and results in effective service in His kingdom.

Prayer

Lord, I am Yours. Make my life count for Your kingdom. Amen.

To Ponder

When faith and obedience accompany our study of the Bible, our lives will never be the same.