The Power of God’s Word
by Margo Nyhuis
** As you read the following, please note, I have intentionally left out the verse references in the first section. In doing so, I am setting you up to enjoy a good embarrassing story about me. So sit back, and read on, to enjoy the cringy secondhand embarrassment (that I totally thank God for!). Oh and learn something from my mistakes, would you?!**
From childhood, one of my favorite verses was, and still is, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God”. I learned this as a song in a chapel service at a private christian elementary school I attended at the time, and it has always stuck with me.
Another one of my long time favorite verses is where God promises to give “peace…which transcends all understanding”.
And a verse I consistently recite to myself when I am in need of keeping my mind from sinful thoughts is, “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things”.
Growing up I was exposed to God’s word through school and church regularly, but I didn’t read the Bible very often outside of those settings. When I did, it was usually because I was feeling worried, fearful, or was dealing with sin. So I would look up a section of scripture that I had heard about from school or church, that related to how I was feeling in that moment, by doing a word search on biblegateway.com, blueletterbible.com, or in the concordance at the back of my Bible.
This was not a bad way to start out exploring the Bible, certainly. But it wasn’t until I became a young adult, that I realized how much I was missing out on by approaching the Bible this way, only since my childhood. It took me many years into my walk with the Lord, to realize that I couldn’t really get to know Jesus, just by listening to other people tell me about Him, and by “cherry picking” through scripture for all my “favorite verses" isolated from all their context.
Imagine I was to tell you all about my best friend, but then I proceeded to explain that I really only spoke to that friend once a year, but I listen to other people talk about that person all the time. Would you really believe me that this person was my best friend? Not a chance, I hadn’t done anything that reflected any type of personal relationship with that person. In fact, what I did share, would have revealed my lack of intentional investment in that friend.
It’s the same with the Bible and Jesus. How can I think that I am developing a personal relationship with Him, if all I ever do is only read my “favorite verses" and intake sermons and teachings, that are other people’s reports of their quality time spent with Him? I need quality time with Him myself, to be able to grow closer to Him. Reading our Bible is an invaluable way to get to know God better. And here’s where we come full circle, back to my favorite verses I shared above.
**And get excited, here comes the secondhand embarrassment I told you to look forward to.**
What do these favorite verses of mine have to do with a rant on reading our Bibles more? Well, it’s those verses that I’ve held dear since childhood, that revealed my Bible literacy deficiency. And you may be asking yourself, “hmm I don't remember those verses being about reading your Bible?”
And you would be right, they are not. It’s not just the words in those verses that have affected my life, it’s something else too. Yes they are excellent verses, and I still regularly recite them to myself to work through worry or sin struggles etc. But what I love most about these verses is something a lot more basic than that and totally embarrassing (but I thank God for!).
Ok, here it is, the embarrassing, but most awesome thing God has done in my life through those verses .…
Ready for it?
All of those verses…
(and some of you probably already know this)
…are…
…right. next. to. each other…
**Remember, I did not realize this until I was a young adult!!**
Read for yourself:
Philippians 4:6-8
“ 6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.”
How had I never noticed this before? How did I go so long not realizing the beautiful context that all 3 of those verses create TOGETHER? The answer is simple – I wasn’t looking. I was so focused on me and what I wanted from scripture, that I didn’t even bother to notice that they were consecutive verses.
**Are you cringing with me yet?**
I spent so much time seeking out the Bible to meet my own “needs”, cherry picking through scripture, that I didn’t even notice how God compiled it, let alone paying attention to why He gave me the Bible in the first place! He loves ME and wants me to get to know Him! The creator of the universe wants to spend time with ME!
Christ calls us to a relationship with Him that is as personal as a marriage. He refers to us as His bride. If that is the case, we really should be spending lots of time in close contact with Him, like we would with a spouse. Time with Him, in His word (and in prayer) is how we develop that tender and close relationship.
So hear me—yes, have a list of favorite verses, yes memorize scripture (Psalm 119:11 “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”), but don’t miss out on all God has for you by only doing that, like I did for so many years. That’s how I missed that all of my “favorite verses” are actually one continuous passage. I thank God that He used this humbling, face-palm moment, to inspire me to pursue Him more personally through independent Bible reading and prayer. I hope that you too, will take a serious evaluation of why, or even if, you are reading the Bible. Be honest with yourself and see if you might be guilty of the same thing I was, which causes us to miss out on really knowing Jesus like we can and should.
Lord, help us to long for a close relationship with you. Reveal to us our cheap replacements of the beautiful and intimate relationship we can build with you through reading your word and prayer. Humble us, draw us close, show us that you are all we need!
REFLECTION:
Because I love music I thought I'd share the song that God brought to mind while writing this: Draw Me Close by Michael W. Smith
Honestly consider: how often am I reading God’s word?
When I do, am I “cherry picking” to meet my perceived needs or am I seeking God’s word to understand the heart of God more?
Do I have a personal relationship with Jesus, or am I depending on what others share with me to make me feel like I know Him?