Have you ever been through a season of life where certain things trigger your thoughts back to that time? Maybe it’s a song, smells, objects or pictures. Ice cold cokes from a Coleman cooler will always take me back to days on the lake. The smell of fried okra cooking lands me back in my Grandmother’s kitchen gathered with the family. One of the coolest things for us as followers of Christ is to pay attention to the words in scripture that the Holy Spirit leads us to during especially difficult times of life. I believe it’s these passages that will resonate a bit deeper in us. They will linger longer in our hearts and be what we use to encourage others. These are the verses that when you hear mentioned on a podcast or from a preacher your heart is screaming “Amen!” They hold a special place in your heart.
Scripture is not nostalgic but because it’s alive and active and has the power to teach us, comfort us, challenge us and rebuke us it has a deeply personal connection. And if we are followers of Christ then the Holy Spirit resides in us and is constantly convicting, comforting and guiding us to Truth. So let’s pay attention to what the Spirit of God shows us during times of life when we are desperate for his direction. Go to his word anticipating him to reveal himself and then hang on to those truths because it’s what will give you life during times you thought you’d never be able to endure. And it will provide comfort for others when they too walk through trying times.
When we went through infertility God led me to the book of Job. He answered a very specific question I had for him through the book of Job. When I broke my leg I landed in Isaiah and the Psalms and God reminded me that he would fight for me and I only needed to be still. I didn’t realize when I started a Bible Study on Psalm 23 recently that we would be entering a very difficult personal season of life. These verses have been refreshing to my weary soul. I know that I will always look back on this Psalm as being infused into my life at just the right time. And really that’s how all our scripture reading can be viewed.
If you are in God’s word regularly then you are actually building an arsenal of treasure. The verses you read now will be landmarks later on down the road. They will be the gifts of truth you get to share with those who will need it down the road. And on the flip side, we too will be encouraged by the words of the Lord that others will hopefully speak into our lives over time as well.
So what scripture is God using in your life right now? Or what has he led you to in the past that you still hold dear in your heart? I would love to hear it.
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