“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ…. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed…” Romans 1:16-17

Words on a Page

My mother taught me to write thank-you letters when I received gifts—even if the gift was given to me in person and I had already thanked them verbally. It was considered good manners to re-acknowledge the gift and the kind intentions of the giver.

My comfort level with putting words on a blank page led to my seeking pen-pals from around the world when I was a teen and young adult. These people, of course, I would never meet, so I was free to bare my soul. After I married and had childen, I continued to maintain pen-pals of like-minded moms from other states. I also wrote long, newsy letters to friends who had moved away, to my relatives, to people I had befriended in my travels. (I sort of pity my university professors who had to slog through my detailed answers to essay questions on tests.)

There’s something about writing words that seems permanent, as if etched into stone. Once the words go forth, they are unchangeable. You can’t take them back. You can’t say you didn’t mean it. You can’t deny that you wrote those things.

Revealing yourself is a risky activity—letting people know your inmost thoughts, divulging your heart and mind to anyone and everyone who read your words. It opens you to criticism. It can lead to judgment. It opens the door to being misunderstood.

This is what God did when He wrote the Bible. He etched the words that declared Who He is. He revealed what’s inside of Him, to the extent that we can understand. Then He gave it to us to read—precisely so that we could know Him.

He wanted us to know Him. He directs us to seek Him so He can be found. He has no sin or fault to hide. He has been misunderstood throughout the ages, yet He wrote the revealing Word anyway.

It’s as if He said, “Here is Who I am. Here is what I think. Here is what I’ve done, and what I’m doing, and what I’m going to do in the future. Here is why I’ve done it. Here is my plan. Here are my feelings laid bare. Please read this. It’s a matter of life and death.”

Words matter; in particular, God’s Word matters. Our own words may cause someone to “stop and think,” (or they may cause someone to stumble), but God’s Word actually transforms us. “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11).

Father, thank You for revealing Yourself in Your Word. Transform us as we read it. Amen.