Why Read Scripture Before Work?

Read scripture before you go to work. If you remember, I talked about this last week. Since then, I had some additional thoughts I wanted to share with you.

You know those days when you're just exhausted from working hard? Worse, you're exhausted and really not sure you're accomplishing much. There's just so much to do. It's a mountain of work and you're barely scratching the surface. Well, it happens to me from time to time. It's hard just getting up in the morning to face it all. You're overwhelmed.

So this one morning, I'm reading Isaiah 40 (I always try to read something from the Old Testament, a Psalm, a Gospel verse, something else from the New Testament like St Paul's Epistles - a bit each morning when I can). I'm feeling really pressed at work, practically exhausted just thinking about the day's work lying before me.

The verse from Isaiah starts with "Comfort, comfort my people, says your God..." Hmm, that's just what I need, comfort. OK, read on.

This chapter's kind of long, so I read about half one morning, half the next morning. (BTW, if you like Handel's "Messiah" you'll recognize a lot of the verses in this chapter of Isaiah.) The second day, after being comforted and reading about the wonders of the Lord, I'm still feeling pressed and exhausted. Then I get to this, towards the end of chapter 40:

"Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth...
He does not faint or grow weary...
He gives power to the faint,
and to him who has no might he increases strength."

Yeah, that's me. God give me strength, please.

Then this:

"Even youths shall faint and be weary,
and young men shall fall exhausted;

Ah, so even when you're young and just starting out, you get this exhausted feeling too. Hmm...I had forgotten. Years of work made me think I was just getting worn out or something.

"but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength,
they shall mount up with wings like eagles,
they shall run and not be weary,
they shall walk and not faint."

Ah, that's better. You know, I'm actually not feeling so pressed. Work doesn't seem so overwhelming. I'm going in and taking on that mountain today. I'll chip away and keep on chipping away.

God's with me. Nothing can stop me now.

I'm not making this up. This is exactly how I read the verse, and just how I felt. I was amazed at just how deeply the words got to me and helped me.

Of course, there's no reason to be amazed. That's what happens when you read the Word of God, and give it time to sink in.

And that's why I really look forward to reading scripture in the morning before work.