GodReflection: Power Words
I call these “aha moments.”
It was years ago. I was in the presence of Sebastian the leper. Blind in one eye the disease disfigured his face. His feet wrapped in rags so his sandals wouldn’t rub against the deteriorated skin. Stubs replaced most of his fingers.
His heart spouted joy as a disciple of Jesus. The eye twinkled. A deformed smile crossed his face.
He buried his inner man in the grave of baptism. It was more diseased than his leprous
body. At a meeting of the little church I heard him pray, “God watch over us who don’t know how to read.”
It was an aha moment. My ability to read was an assumption prior to Sebastian’s prayer.
It struck me that he didn’t own a bible. A trainload of bibles wouldn’t help the man. He could not read.
I own a stack of bibles. My childhood bible, my grandmother’s bible, bibles inherited from my parents, and personal bibles that served me through the years. Now, in the digital age I have bibles on my mobile phone, and bibles on my digital readers.
My access to God’s Holy Word—not a specific copy— is my most valuable possession.
Even as I write these word’s I am reminded of Jesus’ teaching, “To whom much is given, much will be required.”
The Bible is a precious gift. I must not take it for granted.
What makes the Bible powerful is the fact that it points to Jesus who is God who is Spirit. No other book shows the completeness of God’s loves for me. It tells the story of God who desires my companionship and the extent He was willing to go to draw me into the Celestial family.
I started out this line of thought to highlight the power provided to me through the gift of the Bible. I don’t belittle God’s gift in the least. However, as I conclude my wondering, I find myself struck by the power provided to me through the gift of literacy. I can read.
Wouldn’t it be a tragedy to own a stack of bibles and not be able to read? Certainly, the heart of God’s message is simple enough to grasp by verbal communication, but think of the deep textures of the treasure I might miss.
Is it possible for me to finish today’s blog being grateful for both the Bible and the fact I can read? Together they represent powerful treasures that aid my walk in the direction of the Master. It is what they represent that makes these two powerful words a joint possession.
Stay tuned.
Dr. Gary J. Sorrells – A GodReflection on the Power Words Bible and Read.
Gary@GodReflection.org
God Reflection 
Dear Gary, there was a wonderful sister in Christ of the Guarulhos congregation, Dona Josefina (her soul went to be with God a few years back). She told many of us that she wished she could read, that she missed being able to read the Bible all by herself. I told her that I, being a normally very selfish person, was thankful that she couldn’t read, because she often told us how much she prayed for each member of the church. I told her I needed her prayers, that we all needed her prayers. And any time that she might have spent reading God’s word, was instead spent in prayers for ME and many others. Thank you again, God, for Dona Josefina.
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Sara,
It’s neat to remember that God can touch all hearts–who knows, perhaps especially those who can’t read?
Gary
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