The First Devo

This verse caught my attention this morning,

And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide: and he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and, behold, the camels were coming. Gen 24:63

The word meditate is ‘shuach’ and is always used in reference to meditating on the laws or the works of God. Interestingly, this word is never used with God as its direct object… we meditate on his laws and his works but not on God. These were Hebrews – not Brahmans.

Why is it so hard to meditate and to pray? In the hour of trial the disciples fell asleep. I think somehow it is true that we are tired because we do not pray, rather than that we do not pray because we are tired.

I like Matthew Henry’s Commentary on this verse:

1. Meditation and prayer ought to be both our business and our delight when we are alone; while we have a God, a Christ, and a heaven, to acquaint ourselves with, and to secure our interest in, we need not want matter either for meditation or prayer, which, if they go together, will mutually befriend each other.

2. Our walks in the field are then truly pleasant when in them we apply ourselves to meditation and prayer. We there have a free and open prospect of the heavens above us and the earth around us, and the host and riches of both, by the view of which we should be led to the contemplation of the Maker and owner of all.