Series: Flowers in the Desert
Hebrews 4:12-13 ESV
Hebrews 4:12-13 MSG
Matthew 22:37 ESV
When I was young I would sometimes imagine I was invisible.
See, I loved spending time in MY room.
In my room I could laugh whenever I wanted and at whatever I wanted to laugh about. I had very few rules in my room.
I could dance and sing my made-up silly songs. They didn’t have to make sense. They didn’t have to “be good”.
I could read for as long as I wanted and no one would tell me to “rest” my eyes. I loved reading and I could do it all day long, and half the night. I loved reading under the covers with a flashlight. Of course picture books had a few words but mostly had pictures that told a story. When I couldn’t figure out a word, I made up stories that went along with the picture.
I don’t remember being frightened at night in my own room. Even when I was very young, I knew Jesus watched over me. I knew that because I asked Jesus to watch over me. My Sunday School teacher when I was pre-school age told us that Jesus watched over us and we could ask Jesus to help us if we were afraid. After she told us that Jesus watched over us I wasn’t afraid.
The strangest thing about my Sunday School room when I was 4-5 years old is that I don’t remember the other children. I only remember the teacher. In my memory…in my mind she was there for me. I know there were other children in the class, but my teacher made me feel like I was very special, like I was the only child there.
I also remember knowing that Jesus was there.
I remember we had Bibles in the Sunday School room. I could read some words when I was 4-5 and I “saw” how to figure out what a word was by the sounds. I knew that because I had an older brother who knew how to read. I wasn’t sure how to read all the words, but I loved looking at the pictures. The pictures told a wonderful story.
I knew the Bible was special because my dad read his Bible a lot. He taught Sunday School for people his age, and he studied his lesson. I know that because I would ask him what he was doing and he said he was “studying for Sunday School.”
We are told in Hebrews 4:12-13, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”
Hebrews 4:12-13 in The Message says, “God means what he says. What he says goes. His powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon’s scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey. Nothing and no one can resist God’s Word. We can’t get away from it—no matter what.”
I love that it says God’s word can cut through everything (and anything).
Plus, this passage tells us that nothing can resist, or stand up to God’s word.
I remember quoting God’s Word to people and it stopped them dead in their tracks. I was younger when I quoted scripture to someone and they didn’t respond. I remember thinking they just couldn’t think of anything to say. But looking back now I wonder if it was scripture itself (alive and sharper than any two edge sword) that made it so they could NOT respond.
It makes me wonder…is scripture and quoting scripture THAT powerful?
Because if that literally IS the case, believers need to use it as a powerful tool. If quoting scripture really will stop people in their tracks, do we need to be quoting it more to the world?
When I was in my twenties and thirties I was crazy determined to learn as much scripture as possible so I could quote all of my favorite scriptures.
I did memorize a lot of scripture, and it’s a helpful tool today that I can still recall enough to be able to look up a phrase and find the rest of the scripture. But, I didn’t quote scripture to people.
As in, if someone was determined to make my life difficult, instead of making a good argumentation and explaining my decision (using my argumentation and debate skills from college), should I have just quoted scripture?
Have I been making it too hard?
I’m not sure, but it seems like praying about it and asking God to show me (to show us) how the Spirit can help me (us) quote scripture when we are in a bad spot is a solid idea.
For example, if someone says they are really in a bad spot and they have decisions to make and aren’t sure what to do, reminding them God is there would help them to let God IN.
“Love the Lord Your God with all your soul, with all your soul, and all your mind,” Matthew 22:37
People often think they need to figure out problems by themselves, but that isn’t what God wants us to do. God wants us to turn to Him.
God wants us to sit with Him.
That person doesn’t need our advise (which is usually what we do. That person needs to learn to rely on God and in order to do that, they first need to love God and turn to God, they need to rely on God…not on us.
The gem hidden in plain sight is God and His love. It’s right in front of us, but we often don’t see it.
God sees everything…so we need to let God know we look and we SEE and we reciprocate his love.
Spiritual Practice: Love God
Sit with God and let God love you.
In God, Deborah
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