“Every scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for showing mistakes, for correcting, and for training character, so that the person who belongs to God can be equipped to do everything that is good.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17 CEB)
How does God speak to you? Some people hear God’s voice in the still, small voice of their conscience. Others hear it in the music or the sermon on Sunday morning. A primary source is the Bible, as Paul reminds his young friend Timothy.
We should not be surprised that words have such power, especially the words of scripture. The apostle John begins his gospel by reminding us that, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… The Word became flesh and made his home among us. We have seen his glory, glory like that of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth” (John 1:1,14 CEB). In a sense, Jesus is the Word of God.
This summer, I have been reminded that God can speak through the words of many. In addition to scripture, I have been enjoying a lot of Christian fiction lately. I’ve read several great novels written from a Christian viewpoint, and hear God speaking through the words of their authors to inspire me.
Nancy Woodruff loaned me the first three books of Jan Karon’s Mitford series a while back, and on vacation I finally had a chance to read them. These books follow a bachelor pastor serving a church in a small North Carolina town. I found them funny and moving… and inspiring. Although writing with a rosy glow that reminds me of a Thomas Kincaide painting, Karon doesn’t shy away from the hard things in life: death, neglected children, church politics, workaholics and alcoholics, the burden of poverty and the curse of wealth.
As the pastor leads his flock, he goes back to scripture and his faith over and over again. One of the things I am reminded of is that while Christianity offers answers to difficult questions, they aren’t always easy answers. Yet peace comes in the process, and joy comes in the end.
Another book I read recently was recommended by my wife: Rumer Godden’s In This House of Brede. Godden’s book centers on a middle-aged woman who decides to enter an English convent in the 1960s and become a nun. She goes to escape the difficulties of life in the world, but discovers life inside the cloister is also complicated. Yet reading the book eventually brought me a deep sense of spiritual peace, of the power of prayer and worship to change things.
A third series of books by Lois Walfrid Johnson, Adventures in the Northwoods, is historical fiction set in northern Wisconsin around 1906. These books about teenagers are written for teenagers, but I enjoyed them as an adult. The characters learn to apply their faith and the advice of scripture in solving the challenges of daily life. Great fun! (Lois is Anna-Lisa’s aunt, by the way, so you might meet her sometime…)
Of course, if God can speak through the books and movies and music we enjoy… so can the prince of this world. What message are you getting from the things you read or watch? Like scripture, are they useful for teaching, for reproof, and for building up the kingdom? Let me know what you’ve been hearing Christ say lately, and where you’ve heard him speak.
Pastor Park