-“The bird is the word?” No, the Word is the word.
–field notes, 2020
-word: def. (colloquial) a. truth or to speak the truth b. an informal expression to confirm or acknowledge what someone has said
-Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
–Ephesians 6:17
-My feet have closely followed His steps; I have kept to His way without turning aside, I have not departed from the commands of His lips, I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my daily bread.
–Job 23: 11-12
I have a friend who was raised in the Midwest smalltown Protestant tradition, and has become in the past year a self-proclaimed “seeker.” She’s turning over every stone on the path: reiki, chakras, angel cards, astrological charts…
Looking for answers.
I get it. In a world perpetually fraught with chaos and unpredictability, we’re drawn to the idea of a definitive protocol to follow, a prescription for life, a rulebook for our existence. On our quest, as we wade through (and occasionally get swept up in) art, philosophy, cultural movements, political systems, and religious organizations, all claiming to have the “new, formerly secret” knowledge that we need…
We often discount the Rulebook that’s been there all along…
The Bible.
Aka the Word.
“Oh, puh-leez!” *eye roll* “A bunch of musty, dusty rules and fables written in a musty, dusty period of history by a bunch of musty, dusty old farts…”
If this is you, I feel you. I felt the same way…but this is what I found…
A. The Bible is far from an ancient, irrelevant set of instructions. It is living, speaking to us all, presently and personally. It addresses every situation and issue in the human experience with lessons, promises, commands, proverbs, parables. There are countless examples of cause and effect, records of actions and consequences…from those who listened to and followed Him, and those who did not…people who got it right, or thought they were getting it right, or knew they were wrong and did it anyway. We do not have to shake our fists at the sky and ask, “Where are You?” He’s there, in and between (and beyond) the lines.
B. We are not required, as stated in the movie Drumline, to “prove a thorough knowledge of the rulebook” before taking the field. The Best Coach Ever is right beside us, leaning in, nudging us to the salient points, as we go through the Rulebook…and our lives. One page at a time…one day at a time.
C. It is a love story, from our Creator to us. It reveals who He is…how He cares for us, fights for us, dies for us, walks with us in this world, until (spoiler alert!) that final, joyful victory…
And eternity with Him.
A love story that never ends.
It’s got it all…how to live, why to live…
How to love, why to love.
So why do we leave it on the shelf?
Uff da.
Well…it asks for effort and time…more than we have! (at least that’s what we tell ourselves)
This was absolutely me in 2015, the year my world blew up in a most epic, Job-esque fashion. As I lay in the smoldering ruins of my life, He whispered through the haze of overwhelm and exhaustion…
“Seek Me.”
Prayer and the Word seemed a good place to start…okay…the only place to start. Laden with a mountain of fears and even more questions, I ventured forth out of the rubble. Sometimes a solution popped right up; others involved some digging…and (ugh!) waiting.
Good things come to those who wait…
Great things come to those who wait on the Lord.
Recently, I shared with my friend Mike that I am contemplating going back to school to pursue a degree in theology, or perhaps Biblical studies.
“Okay,” he grinned, “but I see people do this and they end up debating the Greek versus the Aramaic, the identity and intent of the author, the best translation…yada, yada, yada. You might get caught up in circuitous arguments, missing the essential.”
I couldn’t argue with that. I, ahem, “have a tendency” to get buried in the minutiae, jumping into rabbit holes with no direction…or exit strategy. God know this full well, and used Mike (the only friend who could!) to deliver the message.
The takeaway for this rabbit hole spelunker…
The Bible contains all the answers…
And, most importantly, the answer…
Jesus.
Acts 16: 30-31–He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved–you and your household.”
Jesus is The Answer.
Word.