“The word of God is living and active. Shaper that any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” – Hebrews 4:12
Why should we read the Bible? And why in the world should we keep reading it over and over again? How come people don’t ever seem to get tired of the old book? And how can one possibly continue learning new things reading it for the tenth, eleventh, and twelfth time through? The words never change, so why don’t we get bored? I have pondered these questions many times, sometimes out of mere curiosity, and other times out of blunt frustration.
As I was reflecting on these questions one evening, the answer dawned on me. It is true that the word of the Lord never changes, but our individual lives and the lives around us are always in a constant state of change. The struggles, temptations, joys, trials, and fears that we experience today are very different from the ones we experienced last year, or the ones we will encounter a year from now. Because of this, the words of Scripture can take on very different meanings at various times in our lives. What we do not understand today may be something we are enlightened about tomorrow as a result of our present circumstances. As we gain more knowledge and have more experiences, we tend to relate more with certain passages of Scripture. In each stage of our lives we are faced with new challenges and obstacles to overcome, and we need new weapons, tools, and resources to conquer these challenges.
I am reminded of the verse in Deuteronomy 4:29 “If from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you look for him with all of your heart and all of your soul.”
There have been times in my life when I have been a huge skeptic of the Bible. But I am reminded why it is such an important book as I read it and seek the Lord daily. It is easier to be a skeptic when you do not know much about what you are critical of. In the past I used to think in terms of a “magic number” of minutes when seeking the Lord. Now I realize however, that building a relationship with the Lord of Hosts has nothing to do with an amount of time or a number whatsoever. Rather, it deals with an attitude of the heart. This attitude is that of a humble, sincere, and contrite spirit that says “Here I am Lord. Use me, fill me, and teach me in your presence today.”
As I was reflecting on these questions one evening, the answer dawned on me. It is true that the word of the Lord never changes, but our individual lives and the lives around us are always in a constant state of change. The struggles, temptations, joys, trials, and fears that we experience today are very different from the ones we experienced last year, or the ones we will encounter a year from now. Because of this, the words of Scripture can take on very different meanings at various times in our lives. What we do not understand today may be something we are enlightened about tomorrow as a result of our present circumstances. As we gain more knowledge and have more experiences, we tend to relate more with certain passages of Scripture. In each stage of our lives we are faced with new challenges and obstacles to overcome, and we need new weapons, tools, and resources to conquer these challenges.
I am reminded of the verse in Deuteronomy 4:29 “If from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you look for him with all of your heart and all of your soul.”
There have been times in my life when I have been a huge skeptic of the Bible. But I am reminded why it is such an important book as I read it and seek the Lord daily. It is easier to be a skeptic when you do not know much about what you are critical of. In the past I used to think in terms of a “magic number” of minutes when seeking the Lord. Now I realize however, that building a relationship with the Lord of Hosts has nothing to do with an amount of time or a number whatsoever. Rather, it deals with an attitude of the heart. This attitude is that of a humble, sincere, and contrite spirit that says “Here I am Lord. Use me, fill me, and teach me in your presence today.”
Keen observations
ReplyDeleteBen Cabe