God's Word Brings Light

There are many wonderful reasons to read God’s word daily but there is just one I want to cover today in this column. And it is this; reading the Bible brings illumination!! This is an amazing promise found in Psalm 119:130 The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.

That means that whatever you may be facing today, the Lord has an answer for you in his word. It is his desire to bring understanding and illumination to your heart and mind. It is his desire to bring comfort and strength through his words of life. That is his part, our part is to actually take the time to seek him and find out what he is saying to us.

About three years ago it was discovered that I had contracted Lyme Disease. From the best we can tell, I got Lyme Disease from a tick bite while hiking in the mountains nearby our home. This is a disease that affects your nervous system, all joints and muscle mass, as well as your vision and brain function (among others things). In other words – it’s a nasty bug!

Once it was ascertained, through two very defined blood tests, that I did indeed have this disease, treatment began. I was given antibiotics through an I.V. for 50 consecutive days, followed by a very strong oral antibiotic for another two weeks. After all the medicine I had received, I would say that I was sixty percent better, if that. I still could not walk to the end of our street. I still could not pick up my daughter. I still could not function fully in my duties as a housewife and mom, and for my whole family this was a very discouraging time in our lives. And then the Lord sent his word and healed me.

It happened like this:

I was sitting on my deck, Bible open, spending time with God. I had done that daily since I became sick (nothing like a good trial to cause you to seek God like never before). I decided to read in the Psalms that day and randomly turned to Psalm 29. This psalm starts off with praise to God and then progresses along to tell what the “voice” of the Lord accomplishes. I especially noticed the seven descriptions in that psalm telling the mighty acts of the voice of God:

The voice of the Lord is over the waters
The voice of the Lord is powerful
The voice of the Lord is majestic
The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars
The voice of the Lord strikes with flashes of lightning
The voice of the Lord shakes the desert
The voice of the Lord twists the oaks and strips the forests bare
And in his temple all cry, “Glory!”

Reading this psalm brought faith and I knew that the Holy Spirit was encouraging me through it. I didn’t know what would happen next, but I started to feel a sense of anticipation.

A few days later our church started a five-day tent meeting with many special speakers planned. My husband and I decided to attend with the plan that I would take it easy and not wear myself out. The first day was wonderful and we had a great time. I felt better physically but didn’t really know what was happening yet. The second day was just as good as the first and I felt even better physically. The third day I decided to ask one of the special speakers to pray that I would be completely healed from Lyme Disease. He bowed his head and began to pray and then suddenly stopped. I opened my eyes and he was looking at me, then he said, “Your healing is found in the voice of the Lord”. Well, you could have knocked me over with a feather! That man couldn’t have said one statement more powerful to me then that. It was exactly what the Holy Spirit had spoken to me in Psalm 29!!

By the forth day I was even better and stronger. My husband and I marveled at these events and could hardly take them in. By the last day of our church’s tent meeting I walked home from church! I had not walked even a block in over four months, but that Sunday I walked home briskly without one speck of pain.

God sent his word and healed me and we are forever grateful. As Christians, we can hear the voice of the Lord in his word, the Bible. Trials will come to all of us and if you want to know what Jesus is saying about your trial; look in the word of God. He will never leave you or forsake you – there is always an answer! He may send his word and heal you or he may give you just the scripture needed to endure what you are going through. Either way, illumination, understanding and comfort will be yours as you take the time to search out God’s word for your life.

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Paula Friedrichsen is a conference speaker and the author of "The Man You Always Wanted is The One You Already Have" (Multnomah 2007). She lives with her husband and daughter in Northern California.
© 2008 Paula Friedrichsen - All rights reserved.
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This column is used with permission.