It’s been a couple of crazy weeks. Serving at church for all four services two weeks in a row – driving 3 – 4 hours almost every day for work – trying to keep up my 6 days a week workout schedule. Boy, it hardly leaves me time to keep up with the reading plan. In fact, these last few weeks, I’ve felt like I’ve just been looking at the words on the pages. Even after Karen’s post yesterday and my response to it, I still found myself doing it again in Genesis and Matthew.
Then, I read Nehemiah 8. The shear emotion from the people as they hear Ezra read and interpret God’s word. They were beside themselves. True, in those times, this particular group of people only heard the Word read to them maybe once a year – at the feast of booths (or tabernacles) so it was almost as if it was new to them. In fact, I would bet to many of them it was. But the thing that got me was how much it meant to them – new or not. And I began to think, what if I couldn’t simply pick up my Bible off the desk next to me and read it. What if I had to wait a year just to hear someone else read it for me, and interpret it (writing this right now, I’m shaking a bit – like I’m scared it could happen). It would be devastating to me if I didn’t have complete access to God’s word – If I couldn’t hear God talk to me every day.
Oh Great God – Thank you so much for the gift of your Word. It confuses me, it saddens me, it makes me so very joyful, and it always comforts me. Please never let me know what it would be like without it. And, help me to stand strong against the enemy and always truly READ the words on the page, not just look at them. In Jesus’ name. Amen
Jim – jmitch1
Sixty-six books in a year 