The Book for Me 6-21-09
Last Friday I attended a prayer breakfast centered on efforts in the community to combat childhood hunger. I took my Bible along and kept it with me during the course of the meal and the presentation. At the end I left and, stopping by my house to change clothes on my way, proceeded to go to work. Saturday morning I sat down in my home office to prepare my weekly sermon and bulletin article and could not find my Bible. I looked about frantically until I realized that the last time I remember holding my Bible was at the prayer breakfast. I called the fire department (the venue hosting the event) and they confirmed that they had my Bible; I dressed appropriately and drove over to retrieve what I was missing. I was truly thankful that someone there had taken care of my Bible so that I would be able to get it – I thanked God, as well.
If this seems odd, understand that in addition to the availability of the Bible on the Internet I have no less than five copies of the Bible in my house that I could have used. But I needed MY Bible! I am used to it – I know where passages should appear on the page, I like the feel of how the pages turn, and I am comforted by the weight and size. Do these things matter in terms of my ability to read the Word of God? No, they have no bearing on that. And if I had permanently lost my copy I could have replaced it fairly easily. But it would have been very disruptive to my life.
I know that this sounds like I have severe psychological problems. I have many books in my house (I am a certified “book lover”), but I do not obsess over them in this way. But my Bible is different! I can read God’s word from any of a number of sources, but at any given time I only possess ONE Bible copy that serves as my primary source. I believe this is because the Bible is not just another book! It is sacred and holy in a very real way that has little to do with the bindings on a leather and paper apparatus. I become very attached to a particular copy of the Bible at a time, probably because the content of the Book is my connection to the will of God and my source of Divine comfort and strength.
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. I have taken an oath and confirmed it, that I will follow your righteous laws. I have suffered much; preserve my life, O LORD, according to your word. Accept, O LORD, the willing praise of my mouth, and teach me your laws. Though I constantly take my life in my hands, I will not forget your law. The wicked have set a snare for me, but I have not strayed from your precepts. Your statutes are my heritage forever; they are the joy of my heart. My heart is set on keeping your decrees to the very end. (Psalm 119:105-112 NIV)
It is no coincidence that the longest chapter in the Bible (the 119th Psalm) is devoted to praising God’s word! This Psalm is divided into twenty-two parts, each one titled after a letter in the Hebrew alphabet with that same letter beginning the passage. The psalmist had a profound love for God’s word – his commandments, teachings, and ways. I’ve heard people refer to the Bible as “Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth” and other such whimsical notions. And while I am not attacking those things, I wonder if we have the sincerely dependent love for the Bible as that psalmist did for the small portion available to him.
The Bible is God’s revelation to man! It is through reading the Bible that God can open your heart and mind together to his will. But the Bible is a horrible reference guide. It is not meant to be set on a shelf, only to be opened like a dictionary. Too many people have no use for the Bible until something happens to them and they say, “let me look this situation up.” It is only through daily reading of the Bible that you can begin to unlock the mystery of God’s love in your life! As the children sing, “the B-I-B-L-E, yes that’s the book for me!”
-Charles Peterson