I want over the next few posts to look briefly at things that we, as Christians, should really value in times such as these. Some will be very obvious, some probably less so, but I want to start with the most obvious but most necessary.
And I would start with God’s Word: the Bible. Why you might ask not start with prayer? My answer would simply be that you wouldn’t even know that you could pray, or how to pray, or know that prayer works if it wasn’t that the Bible tells you all you need to know about prayer; so let’s put the Bible first.
At such times as these, we should be even more appreciative of having God’s Word not only available to us in our own language but for having it in our homes – in our own hands. Imagine Christians in other lands imprisoned for their faith who do not have a copy of God’s Word to read; those who live in lands where it hasn’t yet been translated into their own language; those who cannot possibly afford to buy a copy of the Bible. Imagine having no Bible today in your home to read, on your PC or phone to read, no podcasts to listen to others reading and preaching it. To simply have no access to God’s Word. That would be terrible indeed.
Praise God that I don’t even need to pause for thought before saying that everyone at plfc has a copy of God’s Word in their own home, indeed probably many, many copies in print and/or electronic and probably in several versions. If I were to include all of the electronic copies I have it would run into many hundreds (admittedly many of them are in languages I can’t read!). How privileged we are!
Listen to a tiny bit of what the Psalmist writes in Psalm 119 concerning the early part of the Old Testament (which is all he would have had when he wrote this) –
Psa 119:97 Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day.
Psa 119:98 Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is ever with me.
Psa 119:99 I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditation.
Psa 119:100 I understand more than the aged, for I keep your precepts.
Psa 119:101 I hold back my feet from every evil way, in order to keep your word.
Psa 119:102 I do not turn aside from your rules, for you have taught me.
Psa 119:103 How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!
Friend, at the moment we are deprived of so, so, much BUT we are not deprived of God’s Word – we can read it, study it, feed on it, grow by it, learn it, meditate on it, and always delight in it. This is rich food indeed!
May you never cease to find delight and joy in spending time in opening God’s Word and reading it and growing closer to God and more into the likeness of Jesus Christ as you do so.