Before I knew the Lord, I somehow got it into my head that the Bible was an ancient mystical book that no ordinary person could understand--maybe it was the old English that intimidated me! I imagined that there might be some enlightened souls hidden away in far off and benighted places who might possibly be able to decode its secrets. What a shock I encountered when, at 18, I began to read the Bible (beginning with the New Testament) and discovered how it spoke so clearly and incisively into my heart and mind--even the KJV came alive to me. (Fortunately, I had studied Shakespeare in High School and had learned to comprehend a bit of Old English.)
After my birth from above and having received the power of the Spirit into my life, I literally began to drink in the passages of the Bible. I suddenly realized that there was an invisible Companion hovering over me and speaking within my heart regarding the meanings of the texts that I was reading. He was acting like the Author Himself! That was well over 30 years ago that I began this love affair with Scripture and I am still amazed by the grace and truth that grips my soul when I study it with a heart that is willing to learn and obey.
I love to read the Scriptures with others and then share our impressions and insights and questions with one another. There is something special about the public reading of the Bible and its stories. We don't get enough of this anymore, since we all have our own personal copies and the ability to read it silently. I'm not much on liturgies, but I secretly hope that we, as a congregation, might think about ways to weave the public reading of the Scripture into our gatherings--large and small. With all the voices in this world that are clamoring for our attention, it's so refreshing to hear "the Word of the Lord."
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