In my devotions today I was reading through Nehemiah 8. The wall of Jerusalem has been rebuilt, but there are many other issues (less physical, more spiritual) that need repairing. For one, the Word has been forgotten. Israel has returned from captivity, and during their time away, they absorbed the practices of the foreign nations around them. Now, the people gather, and Ezra the priest reads God’s Word publicly from morning till night, and the people absolutely soaked it up (“the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law.” v.3)

This then led into a time of obedience to what they had read, confession over their sins, celebration in worship of the one true God, and renewing of the covenant to faithfully serve the Lord. Major changes in the nation of Israel flowed from the Word being read, and also proclaimed (“they read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.” v.8)

In our devotion times each evening as a family, we try to do this with our children. We read a brief passage of Scripture, then try to give the sense of it, so the kids understand the reading. Then we discuss the impact the Word should have on our lives, areas that need to be confessed, where we need to obey, what we learn about God and how we can best worship Him. Our prayer is that this reading of Scripture will go deep into the kids hearts and shape them so they reflect the heart of our Lord.

This is also a great practice in the church. Public reading of the Word may seem a bit formal to some, but Paul suggests to Timothy that it is an important practice to uphold. But the biggest step which is completely missing in our time is the gathering together in the public sector to read the Word, so that it will guide our nation, our national leaders, and the decisions being made on a national level. May we be in prayer, friends, that God’s Word will return to the position of prominence that it once had in our nation, and may Americans hunger and thirst to hear and obey the truth of God’s Word. If our country hopes to once again enjoy God’s blessing, we must honor Him and His ways and His Word.