A STORY WORTH THE READ

 AUGUST 31, 2022

John 1:1-4

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.

Jeremiah 15:16

16 When your words came, I ate them;
they were my joy and my heart’s delight,
for I bear your name, Lord God Almighty.

Isaiah 50:4

4 The Sovereign Lord has given me a well-instructed tongue,
to know the word that sustains the weary.
He wakens me morning by morning,
wakens my ear to listen like one being instructed.

Psalm 119:105

105 Your word is a lamp for my feet,
a light on my path.

Psalm 119:165

165 Great peace have those who love your law,
and nothing can make them stumble.


Recently I have had the wonderful blessing of meeting some new people. One of things I notice about developing new relationships is that one of the best ways to get to know the person is by listening to their story. They share in their story, where they have lived, jobs that they worked at, share about their family, as the relationship develops, they share struggles they have been through. As a Pastor, once that is shared, I find I will often hear a story of the person's experience with Church, or with Christians or where they are spiritually. Stories are important.

That makes me think that if we are going to know God, then listening to His story is very important. God’s story is communicated to us through His Word, the Bible. Through the Bible, we come to know the loving heart of God the Father, God’s loving plans and purposes for the world, and God’s loving vision for the world through His rescue, redemption, and restoration of all things.

The Old Testament people of God internalized God’s story, his word. I just love the way the prophet Jeremiah describes it in Jeremiah 15:16, he says this, “When Your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear Your name, Lord God Almighty.” (NIV)

Jeremiah was given a very hard assignment! In fact, he has been called the weeping prophet because of his struggle with the message God gave to him to declare. Even early in chapter 15 he says that he wished he had never been born. Considering this, however, it is worth noting that his love for the Word of God was a delight and joy for him as he acknowledges the profound truth that he was an Image bearer of God. Just like each one of us is! God’s Word was meant to be consumed and digested as spiritual nutrition for us. We often talk about “feeding on God’s Word.”

In our readings above, we notice that the Word is eternal, it is a delight and joy, it sustains the weary, is a lamp at our feet, a light to our path keeps us from stumbling and gives great peace. Scripture is the essential guide, some call it a “roadmap”, that each of us needs; through the Bible God’s story is told, and that story contains an invitation through which God offers to us a knowledge of Himself.

Let’s ask the Spirit to make us hungry and thirsty for His Word that we might know the heart of the Father and be spiritually nourished and strengthened by it! In other words, that we might “eat the words of God” to our hearts joy and delight.

PRAYER

Father, may we be students of the Word so that we can encourage, support, and help the tired, discouraged, and overwhelmed with just a word. Give us a longing to know your story of love more and more through the pages of the Bible.