By D. Emily Smith
“And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself … And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight. And they said one to another, Did not our hearts burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?” Luke 24:27-32
Out of nowhere my four year old daughter Abby approached me, holding a paper tightly to her chest. The look of pride and excitement in her eyes told me that this was her latest art masterpiece, so I took the paper in my hands and did my best to affirm her. The top of the page contained mostly scribbles and a few random letters followed by a smiley face with curly hair. At the bottom was her name, printed in adorable pre-school handwriting.
Clearly agitated by my lack of response, she asked, “Don’t you know what it says?”
“Why don’t you read it to me?” I suggested.
“This part, “She said pointing to the scribbling, “says I love you. This is a picture of me. And I put my name on it so you wouldn’t forget who gave this to you.”
After my initial feelings of motherly pride and affection subsided, I started thinking. Sometimes the Bible seems like random scribbles and letters, something we struggle to understand. We need the Author to explain it us, just as Abby explained to me her words of love. One of the functions of the Holy Spirit is the way he grants us those “A-Ha” moments, when what we read finally connects with our brain and heart. Who better to explain the mysteries of God’s Word than the One who inspired and controlled the pens of the men who wrote them?
And just like that stick figure smiley face Abby claimed as her self portrait, so it is with God’s Word. It is His self portrait to us. The Bible is a picture of who He is and who He is not. From Genesis to Revelation, we see clearly an image surfacing of a Holy God, a loving God, and an unchanging God. The list of His attributes goes on and on, but between the pages of that Holy book we get a small glimpse of who He is and even who we are.
Then He signed it. Abby printed her name proudly at the bottom of her page to reinforce that this was her work and that she wanted to be remembered by it. The Bible is signed on every page with the precious name of Christ. From Genesis to Revelation, I AM is written there. Sure, it’s not scrawled in some type of heavenly cursive, but His signature is ever clear in the message and the bold statements. Jesus Christ endorsed this book. It’s His story, His love letter to us, signed with His own precious blood so that we will never forget who gave it to us.
Out of nowhere my four year old daughter Abby approached me, holding a paper tightly to her chest. The look of pride and excitement in her eyes told me that this was her latest art masterpiece, so I took the paper in my hands and did my best to affirm her. The top of the page contained mostly scribbles and a few random letters followed by a smiley face with curly hair. At the bottom was her name, printed in adorable pre-school handwriting.
Clearly agitated by my lack of response, she asked, “Don’t you know what it says?”
“Why don’t you read it to me?” I suggested.
“This part, “She said pointing to the scribbling, “says I love you. This is a picture of me. And I put my name on it so you wouldn’t forget who gave this to you.”
After my initial feelings of motherly pride and affection subsided, I started thinking. Sometimes the Bible seems like random scribbles and letters, something we struggle to understand. We need the Author to explain it us, just as Abby explained to me her words of love. One of the functions of the Holy Spirit is the way he grants us those “A-Ha” moments, when what we read finally connects with our brain and heart. Who better to explain the mysteries of God’s Word than the One who inspired and controlled the pens of the men who wrote them?
And just like that stick figure smiley face Abby claimed as her self portrait, so it is with God’s Word. It is His self portrait to us. The Bible is a picture of who He is and who He is not. From Genesis to Revelation, we see clearly an image surfacing of a Holy God, a loving God, and an unchanging God. The list of His attributes goes on and on, but between the pages of that Holy book we get a small glimpse of who He is and even who we are.
Then He signed it. Abby printed her name proudly at the bottom of her page to reinforce that this was her work and that she wanted to be remembered by it. The Bible is signed on every page with the precious name of Christ. From Genesis to Revelation, I AM is written there. Sure, it’s not scrawled in some type of heavenly cursive, but His signature is ever clear in the message and the bold statements. Jesus Christ endorsed this book. It’s His story, His love letter to us, signed with His own precious blood so that we will never forget who gave it to us.
