“Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read from it in the presence of the king. (2 Kings 22:10)

WATCHING SOMEONE EXPERIENCE SOMETHING for the first time can breathe new life into what has become mundane to us. Have you ever seen a video of Christians in persecuted countries receiving Bibles? The excitement of children at Christmas can’t compete with those Christians’ joy. Even with their faces blurred for safety purposes, their exultant tears and huge smiles offer a poignant reminder of how valuable God’s Word is.

Like persecuted Christians today, Josiah knew God and wanted to follow His ways, but he spent many years without access to the written Word. Josiah was sixteen when he began to seek God and twenty-six when he ordered the temple to be repaired (see 2 Chron. 34). Hilkiah the priest found the book of the law during the construction process. After a decade of seeking, Josiah didn’t procrastinate when he received God’s Word! He immediately set about discovering what God had to say.

Most of us don’t have to risk our lives or rebuild a temple to gain access to God’s Word, but we do share something in common with persecuted Christians and Josiah. We need to read our Bible in order to benefit from it. Take a moment to imagine how Josiah must have felt to hear the book of the law after spending ten years seeking God without it. Ask God to give you the same desire for His Word.

Immerse yourself in the Word.

Leah E. Good is a daughter of God, lover of stories, and passionate orphan care advocate. She lives with her family in beautiful New England.

© 2018 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission.