I want to try, once again, to memorize portions of Scripture during Lent. It is a good exercise for me to dwell on these words when everything around me seems so dark. I've picked 5 portions to meditate on (from The Message):
God proves to be good to the man who passionately waits, to the woman who diligently seeks. It's a good thing to quietly hope, quietly hope for help from God. It's a good thing when you're young to stick it out through the hard times. When life is heavy and hard to take, go off by yourself. Enter the silence. Bow in prayer. Don't ask questions: wait for hope to appear. Don't run from trouble. Take it full-face. The "worst" is never the worst. Why? Because the Master won't ever walk out and fail to return.
-Lamentations 3:25-31
But now, God's Message, the God who made you in the first place, Jacob, the One who got you started, Israel: Don't be afraid, I've redeemed you. I've called your name. You're mine. When you're in over your head, I'll be there with you. When you're in rough waters, you will not go down. When you're between a rock and a hard place, it won't be a dead end because I am God, your personal God, the Holy of Israel, your Savior. I paid a huge price for you: all of Egypt, with rich Cush and Seba thrown in! That's how much you mean to me! That's how much I love you! I'd sell off the whole world to get you back, trade the creation just for you.
-Isaiah 43:1-4
This is how we've come to understand and experience love: Christ sacrificed his life for us. This is why we ought to live sacrificially for our fellow believers, and not just be out for ourselves. If you see some brother or sister in need and have the means to do something about it but turn a cold shoulder and do nothing, what happens to God's love? It disappears. And you made it disappear. My dear children, let's not just talk about love; let's practice real love. This is the only way we'll know we're living truly, living in God's reality. It's also the way to shut down debilitating self-criticism, even when there's something to it. For God is greater than our worried hearts and knows more about us than we do ourselves.
- I John 3:16-20
Get the word out. Teach all these things. And don't let anyone put you down because you're young. Teach believers with your life: by word, by demeanor, by love, by faith, by integrity. Stay at your post reading Scripture, giving counsel, teaching. And that special gift of ministry you were given when the leaders of the church laid hands on you and prayed -- keep that dusted off and in use.
-I Timothy 4:11-14
But what happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard -- things like affections for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things. A sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.
-Galatians 5:22-23
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Each portion hits home for me because of something I pray about, think about, worry about, or went through/am going through. It's incredible, the life that breathes through these words, something I've never experienced before with any other translation. I feel like I am wading deeper into the water, not just dipping my toe in. And while it has been more difficult for me to swallow some Scripture (Exodus and Numbers, right now), I have a better understanding of what it's saying.
I'm looking forward to soaking in this truth.
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