Alone with God's Word
As I reflect on the past 50 years of life or at least
since I learnt to read, I realise that the word of God has always fascinated
me. It is no wonder that God uses it to play a huge part in my life like He
does in many lives. I would have despaired
several times; I would have been discouraged; I would have given up if not for
God through His word. I have held on to it for dear life many times. When all
was dark around, only the remembrance of portions of the Bible lit up my way. I
don’t know what I would have done if not for the word of God.
I believe the Bible is the infallible word of God –
every part of it. I am not a theologian of course; so, I cannot discuss it
academically. For me, it is the life manual and guide. A friend once joked that
I seem to punctuate my sentences with something from the Bible. I wish that
this were true - that I have memorised the word of God in great detail, but
alas it is not so.
At the beginning of this year, I became convicted
about how little time I spend reading or studying the word of God. Over the
years, it has gradually stopped being part of my routine. To complicate issues,
the focus of the church has also shifted from Bible study to prayers. Pastors
complain that very few people show up for Bible study – people are more
interested in getting gifts but less interested in what the Giver says or
wants. With Covid-19, whatever little that was being done came to a standstill.
The lack of emphasis on Bible study makes me feel uneasy because I was taught
that the best way to pray is to pray the word of God, but how can we pray it if
we don’t know it? I was also taught that one should approach praying
(sometimes, as the case demands) like a lawyer arguing a case with references
and sections to refer to before a judge.
The Lord invites us in Isaiah 43:26 to present our
cases before Him and in Psalms 138:2 He says that He honours His words more
than His name. Doesn’t it then make sense to use His words in prayer - no
matter the type of prayer? (Ephesians 6:18) How can we hope to receive from God
if we do not do what He wants and how do we know what He wants if we don’t read
His word?
As I noted in my post titled, ‘Be Open Minded’ (https://www.blogger.com/u/3/blog/post/edit/1084284606756232447/424369925984290345)
most of us have become fast food Christians – looking for quick devotionals
instead of sitting down to a wholesome study of the word by ourselves. As I
began finding my way back to personal Bible study, I put together a journal for
personal study and with a friend or friends. It provides one with an outline
for a basic Bible study as we were taught long ago. The outline consists of the
passage and/or topic, background questions, summary, what you hear the Lord
saying to you, actions you need to take, prayer points from the passage and
finally verse or verses to remember and memorise. I find it helpful to use the
outline as it gives structure to the study and helps me to stay focused.
The journal is available for sale on Amazon on this
link:
If you are in South Africa and would like to buy a
copy, please contact me. I pray that the journal will be a blessing to the body
of Christ and that we will find our way back to God’s words. Above all, we need
to pray that God will open His word to us, to change us through it and make us
more like His son, Jesus Christ.
Excellent!! Thanks for your obedience writing this book. I share similar testimonies in my few years getting in the Word and look forward to using this book and recommending to others.
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