CONSIDER THE WORDS ON THE PAGE by Vicki Taylor

How many times have you read God’s Word only to get up and walk away and not even realize what you have read?  I know I have many times.  Usually I’m not even awake when I read His Word, as I get up early in the morning before I go to work to spend time with the Lord.  But the other day I read something that really spoke to me and actually woke me up.  Yes, it was early, but God reached down and spoke to me and got my attention. 

Reading in Ann Voskamp’s One Thousand Gifts, I stumbled on a sentence that made me stop short. It was one simple sentence that was piercing and pointed right at my heart.  It stated, “The passion on the page is a Person …”  Hmm, the passion on the page.  Let’s change that to the "passage on the page is a Person …" and that Person is God.

As Hebrews 4:12 states:  “For the Word of God is alive and powerful.”  Since His Word is alive, He’s always speaking from His Word.  The NIV says, “For the Word of God is living and active.” It’s not only alive, it’s active. The King James says “quick and powerful.” Yes, there is power and passion on the page and that power and passion is a Person, Jesus Christ.  At this point I had to stop and realize once again that I was holding the breathing, living Word of God in my hands. He speaks to me like a father speaks to a child. I am His child. When I hurt, He speaks; when I need comfort, He speaks; when I thank Him, He speaks; when I am kind, He speaks; when I suffer, He speaks.  Well, you get the point.  He is speaking constantly.  But am I listening?  My husband always says, “God is speaking all the time; guess who’s not listening.”  Ouch! 

So, I resolved to go deeper in His Word.  I want to hear Him; I want to know Him more. I need Him!  After all the chaos, stress and turmoil of my day, I want to enter my sanctuary home and stop and hear Him whisper my name. Just like when the Lord appeared to Elijah in I Kings 19, after the mountains were torn apart and shattered, and the earthquake came and after that the roaring fire came. Then came a gentle whisper…that’s what Elijah heard, that gentle whisper.  God only speaks to the heart in a whisper, a gentle whisper.  He will not yell to get our attention; He does not shout our names.  He speaks when we are quiet. When our hearts are tender not tense, our minds are focused not frazzled.  When we learn to bless God and not blame Him for our storms and circumstances, we will see Him for who He truly is, our Father.  Then we will be able to look at the passage on the page and see the passion on the page as the Person we want and need to hear from.

I’m listening for the whisper, are you?