Several
years ago I was going through a tough time and feeling a great deal of anxiety.
Something happened that has been a source of comfort and courage ever since.
I need to
say, right up front, that I have never practiced, nor do I agree with, what has
sometimes been called “Bible roulette.” This is the technique
of seeking
guidance from God by letting the Bible fall open at random, putting your finger
on the page, and trying to interpret as a directive from
God the
verse thus identified. On the other hand, in my personal devotions I will often
select a passage to read as I feel led, or because I feel a need.
I must also
say that the Bible I usually use for my devotional reading was, at the time I
am referring to, still fairly new. It was not dog-eared from use, nor did it
naturally fall open to any particular passages.
The event is
recorded in my journal. But it need not be, for it stands out in my mind with
crystal clarity.
I was alone
and feeling agitated. There seemed no end to my anxiety. I cried out, “O God, I
am so tired of being
afraid!” It wasn’t a formal prayer. It was a cry from the heart.
At that
moment I felt an urge, an invitation, a desire to turn to Scripture. As I
reached for my Bible, I felt a definite inclination to turn to the Old
Testament. But nothing more specific had yet come to mind. I opened the Bible
somewhere around the middle. The very first words my eyes fell upon were these:
“...do not fear, for I am with you, do not be afraid, for I am your God...”
I was
awestruck. I tried to reproduce the event, but it was soon obvious that my
Bible was not automatically opening to Isaiah 41:10.
The skeptic
may call it coincidence. But I am convinced that God was in that event,
speaking precisely to my anguish through those words of Scripture. Thanks be to
God.
Billings, Montana
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