God's Word is Alive!

"Make God's Word come alive for me!" How many of us have ever thought or said this out loud? Many of us have. There are a couple of reasons we may say or even pray this: we want to deeply feel the words of scripture; we are asking God to open our hearts, minds, and souls to receive the words of His heart; and/or we most often hear persons read the Bible like they are dead words - the readers stumble on words throughout the passage, there is no emotion exuding from the reader, i.e., no audible or visible evidence that they are impacted by the words; there does not appear to be an impetus, emphasis, or priority expressed during the reading, and/or the reading is done so quickly as if the words are putting a bitter taste in their mouth, or in the very least, the reader sees them as only mere words, lifeless scratchings on paper. 

Do they not know what a precious treasure they are reading? Are their hearts on fire with the words? Compare the response to a couple of hearers of God's Word here. They responded because the very voice of scripture was speaking to them. He spoke words of scripture from His heart, so unlike the didactic and monotonal readings they may have heard at temple. 

Friends, we do not have to entertain a hopeless wish for the Bible to be alive for us - God's Word is already alive because it's author is God the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit's life-giving power is evident all through scripture; as He Himself says at Hebrews 4:12 - "For the Word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, even penetrating as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart." No other book can even come close to the life-power of Holy Scripture. It's author is eternal, and thus His Words live on forever; what He says, does, or feels as captured in those holy words is beyond the framework of what we know as time. Thus, His Word - gifted to us - is God-breathed, is alive through the power of the Spirit, created to enliven the believer, refresh them / renew their spirit, bring comfort, and impact our very consciences and wills, and more. 

We cannot literally 'make' the Word any more alive than it already is; it is us who need to come alive! Our natural humanity longs for the things that the world offers; our fleshly hearts want instant spirituality on our terms. We don't want to read words that disagree with our world view, our moral core; in our flesh we are anti-holiness. In our flesh, we put a barrier between us and the Spirit's words. In our flesh we want to be entertained, titillated, to feel 'good'. In our flesh we are like two-year olds who don't want to eat their vegetables and rather want candy. In our flesh, we do not long for the things of Christ, for the Living Water. So, we will at times not feel the 'aliveness' of God's Word because we are not interested; our hearts are turned off to holy things.

But, can we be like the psalmist who said his soul is consumed for longing for God's Word? In Psalm 119 we see repeatedly the strong, expressed desire to be nurtured by God's living word. For the psalmist, God's Word is life, has power, is discerning. Even his prayers are shaped by God's Word! Have we ever experienced that? What was it like for you? 

Jesus said, "The one who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves me; and the one who loves me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him. If anyone loves me they will follow my word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our dwelling with him. The one who does not love me does not follow my words;" - John 14:21-23a. God has given us the ability to choose what we wish to do, to seek Him in His Word, or to ignore His written heart to us? Will we gladden the heart of God, or will we elect to neglect and/or reject His Word, and thus grieve God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit - i.e., God? (Psalm 119:118; Genesis 6:5-6; Isaiah 63:9-10; Mark 3:4-5; Ephesians 4:30) 

PRAY: Almighty God who, in the vastness of your love for us and in whose image we are created, have given us your heart in writing through your Spirit-wrapped and infused Holy Word: Touch our distant hearts, let us hear your heartbeat in the pages of your Word, let those words penetrate us to the dividing of soul and spirit; let them awaken in us the truth you have deposited that is buried so deeply only you can reach it. Let our hearts come back to life again as we feed on your ancient words, ever true; let them change me and all who claim the name of Christ so that we can live forever in your truth. In the mighty name of our blessed Savior, Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.