Date: Mar 4, 2008 Previous
By Mark Finley, On Solid Ground 2003, RHPA
For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Hebrews 4:12.
Helen Keller grew up in a world shut in by blindness and deafness. She became an almost uncontrollable Awild child” of intense passions. One day while Helen was playing with a new doll her patient tutor, Anne Sullivan, placed the toy in Helen’s lap and signed the letters d-o-l-l in her palm repeatedly. But Helen didn’t understand. As the tutor tried to help her connect this thing in her lap with the signs on her palm the girl became agitated. She slammed the doll on the floor, breaking it to pieces.
Later Miss Sullivan took the unruly girl down the path to the well house. Someone was pumping water. Placing Helen’s hand under the cool flow, the tutor spelled out w-a-t-e-r on her other palm. Suddenly it clicked in the girl’s mind. Later, Helen recalled, "The mystery of language was revealed to me. I knew then 'w-a-t-e-r meant the wonderful cool something that was flowing over my hand. That living word awakened my soul, gave it light, hope, joy, set it free!”
The soul of this wild child, shut away in her own darkened world, was set free by the discovery of the living word. God’s living Word, the Bible, illumines the darkness of our minds and sets us free as well. You can experience the exhilarating freedom that the living Word brings. Take a few verses at a time. Ask yourself these questions regarding the passage you are contemplating: What is God personally saying to me in this portion of Scripture? What does this passage teach me about the character of God? Is there anything in this passage that speaks to my own spiritual life?
Psalms is a great place to begin such reflections. Take one psalm at a time. Read a few verses. Allow the Holy Spirit to impress your mind. Pause, respond to God in prayer by communicating to Him regarding what He is saying to you in Scripture. Your prayer may take the form of praise, thanksgiving, requests, petitions, confession, repentance or intercession. As you allow the living Word to shape your thoughts you will be set free to know God in a close, intimate way. Today, allow that living Word to truly set you free.
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