Hearing His Voice #95

Hold firmly to the word of life.

Philippians 2:16

History books tell us stories and give us background information. Teaching material gives us instruction. Philosophical treatises give us lofty ideas and speculate about the meaning of life. Critiques and analyses give us reasons for the way things happen and try to shape and predict better outcomes. Sacred Scriptures from a variety of traditions throughout the world offer a synthesis of thought, and structure it with meaning. The Bible does all of these things, but none is its ultimate purpose. Scripture inspired by God gives us stories, backgrounds, lofty ideas, analysis, and meaning—but all toward a greater goal: to pierce our souls and fill us with living truth. Even more than that, the Bible opens the doors of our hearts for God Himself to come in.

That’s why spending time in God’s Word isn’t just a learning activity. It’s more than steeping ourselves in biblical history and thought. It isn’t just an effort to know the truth. It can be reduced to all of these things, but it’s meant to be more. When we spend time in the Word, we are supposed to be encountering the voice. We are experiencing a living reality that cuts to the core of our being. We are being enlivened by the same voice that spoke the world into being and that raised Jesus from the dead.

That’s why we should never excuse absence from the Word with thoughts like, “I already know that passage,” or, “I’ve got too much to do.” That’s like saying, “I’ve eaten that meal before,” or, “I’m too busy wasting away to be revitalized.” The Word—when we actually connect with it as “the Voice”—nourishes our spirits in a way that nothing else can, even when our minds and feelings have already had their fill. It breathes into us deeply and shapes us to be like God.

Holy Spirit, breathe Your Word into me at every level of my being. Feed me with the life and the power of Your voice.