Knowing that God has spoken makes all the difference. The universe is transformed from a dark and meaningless place to our intended home. Life becomes more than existence: we know where we come from, what our purpose is, and where we are going. Most of all we know we are beloved children of a heavenly Father. Apart from this all is hopeless. We are like a lost space station, adrift in the emptiness; the fact that there is plenty of food and a good supply of dvd’s doesn’t take away the sense of nothingness.
But it is time to get practical. Are you a Bible reader? There was a time when the English were avid Bible readers. Fathers would conduct family prayers. Mothers would read to their children when they tucked them in. Alas, only a tiny minority persist! There was a time before this when few people could read. That is why our Book of Common Prayer has daily services. People would visit the church going to and coming from the fields; the minister would read the Bible to them. John Wesley’s mother was the only person in their village who could read, so the villagers would come to her on Sunday and she would read to them and pray.
Happily, most of us can read, but do we? TV has destroyed much that was good in our culture. My wish is that every Christian should have their own Bible and Prayer Book. Exploring the Bible is an adventure. I remember an army commando who lived near the church, beginning to read the Bible for the first time. It wasn’t what he expected. He stopped me on his way to the deli one Saturday morning, “Hey man, this book is a big story.” It is the story of a family, the family of God – and when you realize that you can be part of that family, the book comes alive. When you come to young David standing up to Goliath, you are reading about one of your ancestors.
My mother bought me my first Bible from a travelling book van that from time to time came to our country church. When I left home, I took it along as a kind of good luck charm. I felt safer with it in the glove box of the car. Thinking it was something an educated person should do, I started reading. It was heavy going at first. I was about halfway through when God laid his hand on me. My life was never the same after that. The book came alive. It was and is my most precious possession, not now as a superstitious object, but as the message which connects me to my heavenly Father and his saviour Son. I read it most days with my breakfast. Others read before they turn out the light. One chap I knew read it after lunch. How and when hardly matters, but, if you haven’t already, get started on what could become a lifetime addiction.
David Seccombe