I was looking for some fresh
insight into a familiar Psalm in the Bible today; not a great revelation, but
just some freshness from a version different than the one that I normally use.
Because I have so many
versions, shapes, sizes, and number of Bibles, I had a lot to choose from. I
looked at the two bookshelves on which I store my Bibles and I decided to use
one of my two favorite ones that I have “retired”; “The Jerusalem Bible”. It
was the Bible that I used from 1979-1989
SIDE NOTE: I
have been reading the Bible since 1979 and during that time I have used three
main Bibles retiring the previous one after receiving a new Bible:
1979-1989
1979-1989
1989-1996
1996-to
present;
Opening the pages I took time
to read the notes in the margin and places that I had underlined. I even found
some old notes and insights written on scraps of paper. The smell of that old
book took me back to when the Lord “spoke” to me from His word as I daily
sought direction, understanding, counsel, insight, wisdom, and His face. I
decided to read from one of my favorite sections in the Bible; the Book of Psalms.
Turning to the old familiar passage;
Psalm 19; I discovered that even though this particular Bible was “old and retired”,
the words on the pages were still as fresh and alive as when I first starting
using it!
Psalm 19:7-11 (Jerusalem
Bible) says:
“The Law of Yahweh is
perfect, refreshment to the soul;
The precepts of
Yahweh are honest, joy for the heart;
The fear of Yahweh is
pure, lasting for ever;
More desirable than
gold, even than the finest gold;
Thus your servant is
formed by them; observing them brings great reward”
The timelessness of this
version of the Bible wasn’t hindered by the fact that I was using a Bible it
was old and “retired”; it is alive and timeless because it is the Word of God!
His Holy Spirit ALWAYS brings
it alive no matter how old the particular physical book that we are reading is.
As long as you take the time to read, it will still speak to
you today. Jesus said;
“I still have many things to say to
you, but you cannot bear them
now. However, when He, the
Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not
speak on His own authority, but
whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what
is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine.
Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.” (John 16:12-15 NKJV)
So what are
you waiting for? What stops you from taking the time to stop, and read, and
listen to what the Lord would say to you through the pages of the Bible?
Even now,
His Word is waiting and ready to speak to you and your situation.
You simply
need to pick up a copy of the Bible and ask Him to speak to you.
And He will
through His timeless word…
New King James
Version (NKJV)
Scripture
taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used
by permission. All rights reserved.
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