Pray the WordSample

God's Word and the Good Life

We’re told that the “good hand of God” was upon Ezra, a priest and scribe in Israel (Ezra 7:9). As a result, we see in today's verse that Ezra set his heart to study, obey, and teach the Law of the Lord. Don’t you want that to be said of you?

The Bible repeatedly teaches that the good life is found in setting our hearts to study and meditate on the Law of the Lord. The psalmist calls the man “blessed” whose “delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night” (Psalm 1:2). But the good life is not simply about studying, memorizing, and meditating on the Word. It also involves obeying the Word and passing it along to others. This was true of Ezra, and it should be true of us, too.

Our Bible reading should affect everything we do, including our obedience to the Great Commission. Jesus’ command to “make disciples of all nations” involves “teaching them to obey all that I [Jesus] have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19–20). In order to teach people Jesus’ commands, we need to know what he has commanded. Therefore, we need to set our hearts to study and understand his words. We will then be able to obey them and urge others to do the same. This is an important part of what it means to live the good life.

Prayer

God, we want your good hand to be upon us. We want to experience the blessed life, the happy life, the full life, the abundant life that you promise to the one who delights in your law, the kind of life we see in your servant Ezra.

So we pray for hearts that are set to study and obey your Word. And help us lead others to obey it, to teach them your Word in whatever sphere of influence you give us. Above all else, God, help us to pass on your Word to others in our homes, our neighborhoods, and our workplaces. May we be dispensers of your Word, which has life-giving power. In Jesus’ name, Amen.