Who Said That?

I once read most famous quotes come from three sources: the Bible, The Beatles or Shakespeare. I recently started on a new bible study series at my church. The homework requires I dive into my bible and look up many verses. I haven’t done a study like this in years and it is great to roam around God’s word. We are studying faith. I don’t know about you but my faith gets tested every now and then. Sometimes it’s a big test when you loose a job or house or loved one. Sometimes it’s a small test when you are frustrated with work, annoyed with traffic or flooded with the details of life. But I figured now was a good time (any time) to take a look at my faith and how it is working (or not working) in my life. So I joined this study with hope.

One challenge of the study is to “Believe that God’s word is alive and active in me.” It’s a statement of faith. I doubted that I had much of God’s Word in me. I have never been one to memorize Scripture. It’s a discipline I admire, folks who can rattle off the addresses of any and every verse that seem to fit the moment of praise or crisis. Surprise! I am finding I know many, many, many more verse then I ever imagined. I look up a verse and can read it by heart when I find it. I never realized all those quotes I have built my life on came from the Bible. I thought my faith came from teachers, preachers and mom and dad. But who were they quoting? It wasn’t Shakespeare. I am of the world and influenced enough by pop culture I assumed I had a mixed-up mess of ideas in my head. It’s a comfort to discover I have God’s Word in my head— predominantly displayed—along with the Beatles and Shakespeare.

The messages in my head all reside together. I call on them all to keep me grounded in a life of faith. When I’m stressed about a situation I will sometimes think, “Let it be.” Beatles. And too, “Do not worry about tomorrow for I will care for you.” Bible. Or when I am feeling lonely and unwanted, “All you need is love.” Beatles. And then “God loves me more than sparrow in the sky.” Bible. I can’t always remember the address of a verse or snippet of poetry I think of but I do know the source of the things that come to mind. I believe that God is in fact putting just the right thought in my head to get me through. Not mind control, no, this is an “ah-ha” suggestion. “Have you thought of this?” “Do you remember this?” He knows all the resources I have in my head. His Word is in there with all the stories, conversations, books, articles, songs and every quote I’ve read. In this pile of thoughts His word is displayed as the best to grab. I was happily surprised by this. I have discovered I want to know more Scripture to see what else he has for me. I will still go on delighting in the words of Beatles and Shakespeare. After all, who inspired them in the first place, but I will also start trying to learn some addresses of Scripture. It will remind me the of the source that gives me more comfort than Juliet could find in Romeo’s arms.

Posted 9/24/2008 @ 10:39 AM | Weekly Thoughts