God Speaks – God’s Letter To Us
I have not departed from his commands, but have treasured his words more than daily food. Job 23:12 (NLT)
We continue to recount the story of Dimitri and the lessons we can learn from his devotion to God. In a previous devotional, we spoke about the “heartsong” Dimitri sang loudly and joyfully to Jesus each morning. But Dimitri had something else hidden in his heart – the Word of God. He would look out for any scrap of paper, pencil stub or charcoal that he could find. He would then take great delight in filling the scrap of paper with verses of scripture he had memorised. He meticulously wrote in tiny letters so he could fit as many Bible verses or Bible stories as possible on it. In defiance, he would stick the scrap of paper high on a damp pillar in his cell. He knew that when the guards caught sight of it, they would remove it. He knew that they would beat him and threaten to kill him. This did not stop Dimitri from doing this again and again, despite the beating that awaited him.
God’s Love Letter to Us
For Dimitri, the words from Scripture he wrote on those scraps of paper were letters from God to him personally. He was encouraged by them. He treasured them. God’s revealed Word in the scriptures really is His love letter to us. The words of His love letter are pure. Words we can trust. Words that bring life.
The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times. Psalm 12:6 (ESV)
The Words written in Scripture tell us that He loves us and nothing can separate us from His eternal love (Romans 8:38-39). They tell us that He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7). They tell us He will never leave us nor abandon us (Hebrews 13:5). Like Dimitri, we can write down verses of scripture we have memorised or copy verses from the Bible that encourage us when we go through challenging situations. Research shows that writing by hand forces your brain to slow down so you can process information better. So when we write down Scripture, our brains slow down. It causes the words to unfold, giving us greater revelation and understanding. This is God’s desire for us. His desire is for us to have the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, so that we may understand the incredible greatness of God’s power (Ephesians 1:17-19).
The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple. Psalm 119:130 (ESV)
Reflection:
Will you take the challenge and write down portions of scripture that encourage you and meditate on them? When you do this, He will give you greater revelation and wisdom.
Prayer:
Dear Lord, thank You for Your love letter to me. Thank You for Your pure Word. I want to gain a greater revelation and understanding of Your Word. Help me to be intentional about writing down Your Word and meditating on it. In Jesus’ name, amen.
