MAKE PRAYER AND BIBLE READING A WAY OF LIFE
In the book of Deuteronomy, Moses restated the wilderness stories and God’s law to encourage the Israelites to remember and keep their covenant with the Lord. He encouraged them to make God’s Word a daily part of their lives, so that they knew it in their hearts. The above verse is known as the “Shema” (Pronounced “shee-mah,” it means “listen, hear”). It became the centerpiece of the the Jewish morning and evening prayers.
Today, you can still hear it sung by the cantor in the synagogue every Sabbath and taught to every Jewish child as a bedtime prayer. Here is the transliteration of the Hebrew: “Shema, Yisrael Adonai eloheinu Adonai echad.” The cantor sings in a lilting baritone, sounding like a cross between singing and chanting. Of course, they substitute the word “Adonai” (Lord) for the actual name of God (“YHWH – Yahweh”) as found in Deuteronomy, because they consider the Name too holy to say.
Singing, repeating daily, praying, and memorizing God’s Word can help us know it by heart. Yet, if we want the Word “written” on our hearts, only faith in Christ will move it from stone tablets to circumcised hearts.
PRAYER: Dear Father, teach us to make prayer and Bible reading and meditation a way of life for ourselves and our families. As we focus on Your Word transform and renew our minds, so that we have Your mind on things. In Jesus’ name, amen.