John 14:21-26
One of my favourite Psalms is 118/9. It’s very long and arranged as an acrostic. Some people find it a bit tedious as it is very repetitious and turns around a small list of words: law, word, will, statutes, commands, decrees and precepts. Every four lines uses at least one of these words. It’s a Psalm in praise of the Torah.
I’ve prayed this psalm for nearly 30 yrs and one of the things that I have noticed is that when I meet the words ‘commands’ and ‘word’ in the New Testament I hear them now with Old Testament resonances.
‘If anyone loves me he will keep my word,
and my Father will love him,
and we shall come to him and make our home with him.’
The ‘word’ I am being invited to keep will ‘give me life’ (Ps 118/19 v.37), ‘stands firm in the heavens’ (v.89), ‘is a lamp for my steps and a light for my path’ (v.105). The great promise in John’s Gospel is that openness to God’s word prepares a place for the Father and Son to come and make their home within us.
The place we each prepare is unique. It’s crafted from our life experiences; our joys, our sorrows, our hopes and our dreams. Each time you hear or read the Word of God that place within you changes.
Use your Bible today. Find your favourite quotations.
What is God saying to you today?