“When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, Lord God Almighty.” Jeremiah 15:16

My daughter ran into the kitchen in a panic.

“Mom, he’s eating it! He’s eating your devotional book!”

I followed her into the bedroom. There he was. Our new basset hound puppy. Gunner was sprawled out in his bed surrounded by shredded paper. He looked up at me with his big brown puppy dog eyes as if to say, “But Mommy, it was so delicious!”

That got me thinking, What am I eating?

Ever heard the saying, “You are what you eat” ?

The world has gone crazy. There is such confusion and chaos everywhere. 2020 has been a year of twists and turns. Hit after hit. And they just keep coming. You would think that we would all come together considering everything we’ve gone through. That we would rise to the occasion and center in on what’s most important. But no. What’s actually happened is the opposite.

We are more divided than ever.

We have no anchor. No plumb-line. No center. No foundation.

And I get it. It’s not simple. There aren’t clear cut answers to many of issues we are facing. It seems so convoluted.

There have been many days where the confusion has overwhelmed me. It’s been real blurry and I am at a loss of what to do. I don’t know what the right answer is.

But then I have to remind myself to eat His words.

Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”

When I chew on His words, He reminds me that I can’t depend on my own reasoning. When I do, my path gets real curvey. I have to trust in the Lord. Lean in on Him. He has to be my anchor. Only He can make my path straight.

Years ago, there was a Godly man I greatly respected. I looked to him for Godly wisdom and guidance. He had spoken truth in my life on many occasions. I had put him on a pedestal.

Then he let me down. And I struggled. I didn’t know what to think, how to handle it, or what to do. I went to another Godly friend and told him what happened and asked for his advice. After I finished telling him the story, he looked over at me. I’ll never forget what he said. He said, “Rachel, look unto Jesus. Look unto Jesus.”

Look unto Jesus.

That was it. That’s where I had gone wrong. I had put a “person” in a position they should never have been in. Humans make mistakes and fall short–even Godly ones. The only one who should ever be exalted on the pedestal of my heart is the Lord. I had my eyes centered on a person instead of the Lord.

Look unto Jesus.

That was exactly what I needed to hear. Those were the words I needed to chew on.

Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth.”

Be still.

That is something the Lord has been showing me over and over again this year. When it starts to get foggy, blurry, and confusing, when the world gets loud and starts shouting at me, beckoning me to partake in its tempting morsels, that’s when I need to get away.

To get alone with Him. Eat His words.

That’s when I need to reorient myself in stillness before Him. To KNOW Him. To know HE is God. To exalt Him. To exalt Him among the nations. To exalt Him in the earth.

To exalt HIM in my heart!

When we exalt Him to His proper place, He causes everything else to fall into its proper place.

I love the words from an old hymn that says,

“Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim. In the light of His glory and grace.”

My basset hound was definitely on to something.

If there was ever something we better get a hold of, chew on, devour, be surrounded by, and eat—it’s God’s word. His words bring healing. His words are life! With all the chaos, confusion, and uncertainty in our world, may His Words be your joy, your heart’s delight, the anchor for your soul!

And I think Gunner would agree, they are so delicious!