The Spirit and the Word

Each of us has an amazing capacity to absorb information. Some can name every world capital city; others can remember entire musical scores in their head. Some can quote the value of ‘pi’ to dozens of places; others can quote long poems in their entirety. Then again, we can forget the names of those we have just met, and we can forget our credit card PIN numbers. Such is the mystery of memory.

We may have read the Bible many times or a few times or hardly at all. In any case, we would have absorbed certain pieces of information from it. Some we remember, some we forget. Some we can immediately apply to ourselves, some seems to have no application. But it just may be that what we read in the Bible is never simply consigned to forgetfulness. Jesus seems to suggest here that his Spirit will bring to mind that which we need at any given time. That seemingly insignificant verse or two can become a gem of life-changing truth as the Spirit applies it to our now-changed circumstances.

At the time we first encountered that Scripture it was either meaningless to us or shrouded in mystery. But as times change, so does the impact of the Scripture. In other words, it may be that no Bible reading is ever wasted. Stored deep down in our memories is God’s truth, ready to be highlighted by a later work of the Holy Spirit. The faithful Bible reading we did in years past bears fruit in the present. The discipline of Bible study in the present is storing up resources for the future.

Whatever else we forget, let’s remember that.

Blessings
David Reay