Girlfriends in God - Nov. 2, 2006

The Calling Out of God

Today's Truth

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that all God’s people may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:12,17 TNIV).

Friend to Friend

One summer I went to Europe and visited many art museums. I recall strolling down the aisles of the Louver in Paris, quickly glancing at first one masterpiece and then another. Finally, I decided to stop and look at one particular painting. I don’t even remember which one it was. The more I looked at the painting, the more I began to see. It was dark on one side and grew lighter on the other. I noticed the expressions on the faces, the longing of a child, the pain of a man, the approaching cloud in the sky, the hues of the clothes, a bare foot, a torn robe, a clenched fist. A story began to unfold before my eyes and it was if I were beginning to see into the heart of the artist.

This experience reminded me of how some read the Bible – like perusing through an art gallery and never really stopping to see what the artist intended in the great masterpieces lining the majestic walls. Like walking briskly through an art gallery, we grab the Bible and read a few verses before running out the door in the morning or closing our eyes at night.

But God’s Word is a masterpiece and He speaks through every stroke of the writer’s pen. Oh the treasures stored on each page just waiting to be discovered!

The Hebrew word for Bible is mikra, which means “the calling out of God.” He calls out to us from the pages and speaks to us through the words. The Bible is amazingly profound and yet simple enough for a child to understand. The more time we spend in the Scriptures, the more God will reveal the truths within.

The Bible tells us that the Scriptures are alive. John calls Scripture “the word of life” (I John 1:1). Peter calls Scripture the “living and enduring word of God” (I Peter 1:23). “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edge sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” No matter how long we live, no matter how many times we read through the Bible, God will continue to speak to us through the pages of His Word. His Words are living and bring us life!

Let's Pray

Dear Lord, I pray that you will “give us the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that we may know him better and so that the eyes of our hearts may be enlightened in order that we may know the hope to which he has called us, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe” (Ephesians 1:17-19). I pray that the eyes of our hearts will be open to see God through the pages of the Bible and hear His voice in each and every word. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Now it's Your Turn

Over the next few days, read the book of Esther in one sitting. Then ponder the story as if you were looking at the story of a painting.