God’s Touch through His Word

In His sovereignty, God programmed me with a task-oriented, closure driven temperament.  This gifting has served me well in my career in parachurch administration. 

In His grace, God has instilled in me a faith in His Son that I treasure and that brings purpose to my existence.  However, that temperament of mine seems to get in the way of that faith-walk I seek.

It wasn’t until late in my adulthood that I took time out of my days filled with the tasks of ministry to daily spend time in His Word.  I know that I need to do that, but it isn’t natural for me to do so.  It is a discipline that I’ve developed by turning it into a task needing closure…I read completely through the Bible each year.

I love what this discipline has done for my walk, for my knowledge, and how things I didn’t even know that I knew from the Bible will come up in conversations while I’m serving as a chaplain.  Still, it is work, it is a task, and without this discipline I’d never get it accomplished.

Yet every so often, the Holy Spirit intervenes in the middle of this task and touches my heart with a special “God touch” through His Word.  That happened this morning with this prayer of David’s within Psalm 25.  This should be my prayer.  May this touch your heart as well…

Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths;
guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.
Remember, O LORD, your great mercy and love, for they are from old.
Remember not the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways;
According to your love remember me, for you are good, O LORD.

Paul Neighbors