CURRENT THEME: New hope for 2013 (If you have comments or want to read about specific themes in this series, send me an e-mail to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
DAY 7: NEW HOPE ... IN GOD'S WORD
By Benescke Janse van Rensburg
The golf ball and the Bible. What do these two things have in common?
The golf ball: My husband is an avid golf player and, from time to time, I will find stray golf balls lying around in our house. Because I do not play golf myself, until a week ago, I did not attach a lot of value to these balls. I am currently 32 weeks pregnant (8 months), which means a lot of back pain and spasms. The pain and discomfort is especially bad at night when I change my sleeping position. It causes me to lay awake for a few minutes before I fall asleep again. My husband devised a plan: put the golf ball behind your back on the spasm and roll over it to push out the spasm. It works! Suddenly I am aware of each golf ball in our house and I sleep with a lot less pain and discomfort!
The Bible: Most of us have more than one Bible in our homes. The question is: is it still a valuable possession to you or has it become like the stray golf balls because you rarely pick it up to read from it? When we fail to spend time in God’s presence, and read from his Word, we start to dwell with discomfort in our souls on the challenges in our lives; whether financially, in our marriage, in the workplace or with our health. This, while the Word of God, which is at our disposal, is filled with promises to comfort and guide us and give us new hope for any difficult situation. When we take time to read the Word and discover the value of these promises in our lives, it becomes like the golf ball - indispensable.
God’s Word is alive and powerful. In Hebrews 4:12 we read: “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” And in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 we read: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness . . .”
God’s promises also never change. In Proverbs 30:5 it is written: “Every word of God is tried and purified; He is a shield to those who trust and take refuge in Him.” And in Matthew 24:25, Jesus says: “Sky and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.”
Therefore, when you experience discomfort and pain in your soul again, pick up the Word of God and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you to the right passage. You may be amazed at how quickly the "spasms" in the form of challenges disappear from your life and how much better you handle certain situations when you know what God says about it in his Word! God bless.
Father God, thank you for your Word. Lead me through your Holy Spirit to understand and remember what I read, so that you can remind me about your promises when I’m going through a tough time in my life. I ask this in the Name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
** Benescke Janse van Rensburg is a freelance journalist and author of the books, Ontdek God in die stories van mense, Wysheid-oordenkings uit Spreuke and Hoop in tye van nood-oordenkings uit Psalms.