The Living Word

When I read the Word, often my eyes will scan the page and my brain will comprehend nothing. But I do it because I know that my heart is picking up things, and I am forming a habit even if I don't hear what I am reading.

I think it would be powerful to have things jumping out at me every time I open the Word, but that's just not always the case. I'm sure it has a lot to do with my state at the time of reading. Sometimes my eyes are reading along and I alight on a familiar verse and my brain stirs and I am paying attention. Sometimes only for that verse. It's interesting because reading through, it's like the words are highlighted (I never highlight or mark up my devotional copy of the Word).

But it is interesting that the same verse can pop up time after time and just get more engrained in my brain. I have zero objections to this. Verses from the Word being engrained in my brain is a wonderful thing. But I do feel bad for the neglected verses. I want to be better at paying attention to the words I am reading.

Sometimes an entire story is familiar and I am reading along looking for those loved verses, waiting for them to hit my heart and inspire me once again.

Sometimes just the act of opening the Word and reading inspires tears, whether I am understanding or paying attention or not.

But today, I was reading a familiar and well loved story, looking for those passages that strike my heart, when a different passage jumped out at me and I stopped. I stopped to read it again, to wonder at it's significance this morning.

"And the man marveling at her was silent, to know whether Jehovah had prospered his way or not." Genesis 24:21

Maybe the significance of this verse is obvious to you at once. And maybe there doesn't seem to be anything particularly special about it. And that is the beauty of the Word. It is a Living Thing, and people see different sides of it and it strikes different people at different times.

I didn't immediately recognize it as a heart stopping verse. It's not a particularly familiar one, like others in this chapter, or so many only two chapters earlier.

But it is significant to me now. Partly because it jumped out at me. I always love it when a verse jumps out at me and I am not immediately struck by why it did. It feels like a calling. The Lord is calling out to me with a verse. But when I am reading and see a verse that applies to my current state and I immediately see it's significance it feels like I am seeing the Lord.

Let me reiterate that more clearly:

When I am reading and pick out a verse because I see its implications I feel like I am seeing the Lord.

When I am reading and a verse jumps out at me it feels like the Lord is seeing me. He is gently nudging me in a direction by bringing a verse to my attention.

So back to the verse: "And the man marveling at her was silent, to know whether Jehovah had prospered his way or not." 

Again, maybe this is obvious, but it's calling to me is one of peace. When I am wondering whether or not Jehovah has prospered my way, I often feel anxiety. When will I know whether or not this is the Lord's will? What am I supposed to be doing here? What does the Lord want me to do?!

"And the man marveling at her was silent."

Patience, Alison. Just wait. Marvel in Jehovah's workings in your life. He is working, for sure. Be calm. Be silent. Wait for the salvation of Jehovah. Be still.