It Only Took Three Weeks

 Peter got arrested and incarcerated in a Sudanese prison for 14 months. He was placed in solitary confinement. One of the hardest parts of his sentence was being without his Bible. Other than scriptures he had memorized, he did not have access to even one verse. 

After months Peter received a copy of the Bible. The only way he could see to read it was to stand up and get in the sunlight from the small window in his cell. He often stood more than eight hours a day reading scripture. He couldn't sit down to rest or the cell was too dark to read anything. For hours on end he devoured the Bible. In just three weeks he read it through entirely from beginning to end. He hungered for truth found in God's word. 

Do we hunger for God's word like that? Would we stand up for eight hours a day to catch the sunlight so we could feed our souls on the timeless truths in the Bible? Many Christians find it hard to make time to sit down anytime of day and read it with artificial light. 

This morning, I finished reading through the Bible again completing the book of Revelation. I assure you I read it in the comfort of climate controlled conditions, with adequate lighting and sitting in a recliner or an office chair. Would I plod through truth if it inconvenienced me?  I hope I would. I know I would not read through the whole Bible in just three weeks. 

It is easy to waste time and get distracted by things like television, surfing the internet, social media, and sporting events. Now with streaming people can binge watch their favorite programming cramming in whole seasons of sitcoms in days rather than weeks. All the while, Bibles sit on shelves collecting dust while our souls drift further from God. 

We need a ravenous hunger for spiritual food. An intense craving for spiritual meat. An insatiable appetite for the word of the Lord. We may not read it through in three weeks, but we can read it and find nourishment to strengthen our souls for the journey of life.