The Power of the Word
Holy Scripture is much more than a historical record of the acts of God. It is a living testimony of who God is and what God has done. And when accompanied by the Holy Spirit it is a word that can strike deep into the human heart. It is a word that can radically turn us around.
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. (Psalm 119:105) ESV
One of the abiding disciplines of the Christian life is the careful listening to Scripture. This listening becomes all the more potent when it is accompanied by prayer and a listening heart.
The great church father St. Augustine of Hippo knew the power of God’s word. He writes, “I do not know any other such pure words that so persuade me to confession and make my neck submissive to thy yoke and invite me to serve thee for nothing else than thy own sake.”
What is clear from these words is that the reading of Scripture is not a mere speculative exercise. It is reading that leads to new life. It is reading for transformation.
Confession, surrender, and service are key responses to hearing this living word. There are also other responses. Wonder and worship. Gratitude and joy. Comfort and encouragement. Faith and hope.
And since Scripture has relevance for all of life, the personal as well as the social, the spiritual as well as the political, all sorts of responses are possible as we seek to live life moved and guided by God’s word.
Reflection
God’s word comforts and challenges us. It is the light that enlightens and enlivens us.
—Charles R. Ringma, Hear the Ancient Wisdom
Heart Worship
Major elements of the Western intellectual tradition have to do with the separation of theory from practice and the dominance of rationality and the scientific method over intuition and imagination. The biblical tradition, however, has integration as its main theme. We worship God with our heart and our mind.
Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. (Hebrews 13:15-16) NIV
Living the Christian life does have to do with asking the hard questions about God, life, and our role in the world. The Christian should never throw his or her mind away in living the faith.
However, we do need to realize we don’t come far when we are forever involved in tireless speculation. Speculation at the end of the day will leave us suspended in the middle of nowhere.
The unknown writer of The Cloud of Unknowing rightly notes, “Go beyond your intellect’s endless and involved investigations and worship the Lord your God with your whole being.”
The worship of God with our whole being includes our mind and will. But it also involves our inner creativity. And it includes our body and our resources. Moreover, service is also an act of worship. Thus the worship of God is not limited to the sanctuary or to inner piety.
We worship God with all we are and all we have. And we worship God with our hopes and dreams.
Thought
Worship is giving God the rightful place. It is also recognizing that we are not God.
—Charles R. Ringma, Hear the Ancient Wisdom