When my husband and I were new Christians, we joined a home fellowship that, unbeknownst to us, was a wee bit radical in certain ways. The wonderful thing about this group, besides the introduction to other believers, was its central focus: "We don't care what a denomination teaches if it doesn't match Scripture. We want to know what the Bible says!" Getting thrown in the deep end, as far as the Bible was concerned, was the best thing that could have happened to me.
Some of the people, some of the time, practiced what they called "breaking Scripture." If they had a question, faced a decision, etc., they opened the Bible at random and took advice from whatever passage their finger landed on. Of course, the temptation to misuse this didn't take long to rear its head, and soon the exercise was jokingly called "Bible roulette."
And of course, I tried it. Once in a while? Used judiciously? Marvelously apropos answers came forth, words that made my breath catch with their relevance to my need. Too often? Used routinely? The passages "received" bore less and less relation to my concern, and I understood that these attempts to hear from God were trying to shortcut the building of relationship. God can and sometimes will speak this way, but He doesn't use formulas and the Bible is not a crystal ball.
I do still open the Bible at random, though. Not because I'm looking for a sign to help me choose between Fork A or Fork B on the road of life, but maybe because I want to read the word but I'm not sure exactly where. Or because I just want to dive in somewhere. Or because I want to see where God will draw my attention. I opened the Bible at random just now, and--kind of tied in with all the foregoing--landed on a chapter I prayed through with someone just yesterday. When God repeats Himself, I have learned to pay attention.
I'm speaking of Psalm 91, which I think of as the protection psalm. I've known people who prayed this for their soldiers every day and they returned from tours of duty unharmed. One man in the aforementioned home group claimed it as his insurance policy--seriously--in lieu of health insurance (and perhaps other kinds; I never asked) for his family. Granted, this was back in the days before "in-network" and "out-of-network" and before every single dealing with a doctor was cost-prohibitive. But you know what? Nothing ever happened to them, either. And they had eight kids.
Just what is the power of faith in His word, if we will exercise it?
Father, I pray the promises of Psalm 91 over all who read these words. May we dwell in Your shelter and rest in Your shadow, simply for the joy of living there and not only to gain the other benefits. But we do ask Your promises to apply to us: safety from the fowler's snare, pestilence, terror, attack, and destruction. Cover us, and let Your faithfulness be our shield. Let Your protections extend to our families--all who live in or are from "our tent." Thank You that Your angels protect us--even us--when we aren't aware of it. Thank You for victory over the lions and cobras of life, and help us choose to overcome them when they threaten and not give in to them. We are those who love You, know Your name, trust in You, and call upon You, and we receive Your rescue, Your answers, Your presence, Your honor--honor, Lord, for us!--Your length of life, and all the good things You have for us who stay the course on the narrow road to life. We set our love on You, Lord, as verse 14 says, the Hebrew indicating a type of love that "hugs tightly." We hug You tightly, knowing that since we have a Savior who can make it through a storm at sea sleeping on a cushion, we are never outside Your care when we are in Your presence. Amen.
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