Don’t Let the Sun Go Down Without Feasting on the Word
For me this statement don't let the sun go down on me became kind of a prayer. At the beginning of my day, I would say to myself, don't let the sun go down on me without me having done certain things.
Daily Bible Commitment
The first one was I said to myself, don't let the sun go down without having opened your Bible. Some people have criticized me for being too conservative on this point, putting too much emphasis on the Bible. But for me it has to be the primary way that we hear from God—is in His Word. I do believe the Bible is inspired by God. I do believe that it is His Word, that His truth is contained in those pages.
There's nothing sacred about an actual physical Bible. It's just a bunch of pages or it's just a bunch of code on an app, but it's the truth contained in the words that is of God. Don't let the sun go down without having gotten into the Word and heard what the God of the universe is saying to you.
It truly is a remarkable thing that we have Bibles to read whenever we want. For most of history, and in many places in the world even today, Christians haven't had their own Bibles. Somebody had to read it to them. But oh man, I've got the Bible on my phone, on my tablet! I've got Bible software on my PC. I've got physical Bibles in my bookshelf. In a sense, God's Word is all around me, but is it in me? Is it in my heart?
Power of Scripture Memory
Robert Morgan wrote a beautiful little book called Reclaiming the Lost Art of Biblical Meditation. And he tells a story about a lady who learned Bible verses off reel-to-reel tapes — old technology. She would sit and listen to all these verses and memorize them.
And she said that in times of crisis they would come to mind - and this is interesting - “they wouldn't always bring peace, but they would always bring truth”. I thought that was fascinating. With God's words stored up in her heart, even in moments of distress and anxiety, pondering on the Word of God would always bring truth to her mind. And the truth is what led her forward and helped her get through.
Closer to God
Morgan says later in the book “Whether it's in the morning, noon, or night, build time into your daily routine. Find your quiet place, read His Word, absorb His knowledge, and talk to your Father in secret.”
Don't let the sun go down without having gotten close to God, hearing His Word. Read your Bible, study the passages, digest the thoughts of the Bible. As Morgan says: ponder it, picture it, personalize it, practice it, and preach it every day - because there's no better therapy for the soul than the precious, powerful Word of God.
Don't let the sun go down without having done it.
