I’ve recently learned that the Bible is the Word of God. From the Bible, God speaks to me in the present moment, imparting meaning into my day.
For example, I find myself struggling to pray, or struggling with emotions of worry. I open the Bible and I read:
“Seek the Lord while he may be found,
Call him while he is near.
Turn to the Lord for mercy, for my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are my ways your ways.
Yes in joy you shall depart,
In peace you shall be brought back….” (Isaiah 55: An Invitation to Grace)
Reading these words gives me a spark of joy in my chest. The Bible is a dance between my thoughts and its words, between my heart and God’s love. That is, praying with the Bible is a dance between me and God. I approach this dwelling place of God, and I pray.
The Bible gives me food to gnaw on in my soul. Just as Jesus gave us the Eucharist, with the invitation to “gnaw” on that flesh, so too did God give us the Bible to give us rich nourishment in communion with Him.
Indeed, Isaiah prophecies more meaning from God:
“All you who are thirsty, /
come to the water! / …
Receive grain and eat!
drink wine and milk! /
Why spend your money for what is not bread, /
your wages for what fails to satisfy? /
Heed me and you shall eat well, /
you shall delight in rich fare.”
This richness is Meaning from God. With the words of God on its pallate, my soul closes its eyes and savors in delight.
Now, when I approach prayer with the Bible, I feel excitement. There is always something new to discover — an adventure awaits today!
Thank you, Shalom, for teaching me how God wants to communicate to me, and in a great big way, how he wants to be heard in me. Amen!