Speak
In the fall Misty Host started a different kind of Journey Group. We never meet face to face, though we check in every Monday. Looking into our devices, we quote two memory verses into the Marco Polo app. I need to make an admission. I've been one of the least faithful participants. Others have been so good, week after week, quoting the two verses they learned. Two verses per week, sixty-six in all. A verse from every book in the Bible.
This week we learned verses from Obadiah and Jonah. Many of us have never even read Obadiah, let alone learned a verse from this single-chapter book. I learn my verses while walking. With use of the Dwell app I listen over and over. The first time through I am sure I will never get it. After a handful of listens, it starts to sink in.
I learned the Obadiah verse and said it into the app:
Obadiah 1:4
"Though you soar like the eagle
and make your nest among the stars,
from there I will bring you down,”
declares the Lord.
On to Jonah. As I worked on the verse, it worked on me.
Jonah 2:9
But I, with a song of thanksgiving,
will sacrifice to You.
What I have vowed I will make good.
Salvation comes from the Lord.
What I have vowed I will make good. I will keep my promises. My word is good, count on it.
That line worked on me. I started to reflect on promises made and not kept. I thought about things I had started but had not finished. I considered expectations I had set but had not delivered. It was a convicting walk.
That is the way the Bible works. Hebrews 4:12-13 tells us that the Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.
Everything is uncovered and laid bare. The Bible exposes us. In these final days of the fast, take some extra time to take in God's Word. It speaks. He speaks. Listen.
Today's Prayer
Quiet yourself in God's presence. Pray these verses. Let God speak.
Psalm 139:23-24
Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
Final Thoughts
It is way too easy to take the Bible in with an eye toward gathering information. The goal of Bible intake is transformation. Whether we are memorizing a verse or prepping a passage for a Journey Group, remember that the Bible is the Voice of God. He speaks. Listen.
A Song