New LIGHT through the Word!
By Helen Jesze, 5th August 2016
The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.
Psalm 119, 30 NIV
The teaching of your word gives light, so even the simple can understand.
Psalm 119, 130 NLT
Betty and her mother lived in the country many years ago, and went every Sunday to a little chapel, for Betty’s mother was a born again Christian. Although Betty was 18 years old at the time of our story, her intelligence was that of an 8 year old. People who did not know her thought she was much younger, as she was very short, and dressed and acted like a small child. But most of the congregation knew Betty and took little notice when she would not sit still during the service, or even when she walked across the flat tops of the benches during the sermon!
But the godly pastor was very concerned about Betty and began to pray that God and His Word would somehow pierce through the mental and spiritual darkness in this child with ‘special needs’ and ‘learning difficulties’, as we might describe her now. One Sunday evening, Betty was, as usual, fidgeting and causing a disturbance, when suddenly she stopped, looked straight at the pastor and seemed to be listening hard to what he was saying.
At the end of the service, the pastor asked if anyone wanted to become a Christian, if they wanted to ask Jesus to become their Lord and Saviour. To everybody’s surprise, Betty slipped out of her seat and went to the front of the church, where she simply asked the Lord to save her and make her his child.
During the following weeks, great changes took place in Betty’s life, which everybody could see when she and her mother came every week to church. Nobody would have believed it was the same person, for Betty was now a pretty young woman, nicely dressed and her hair curled. Instead of skipping up the path and pushing people around, she walked properly, shook hands, smiled and talked with the people and joined in with the singing. She listened attentively to God’s Word being preached and the pastor was overjoyed at what he was seeing!
Soon a young man asked her out and after a short while they were married! Betty’s husband was hard working and started a small business, cutting and supplying wood to builders. Unfortunately he was killed in an accident, but Betty took over the business, driving the lorries, doing the book keeping, overseeing the men who worked for her, as well as looking after her two children!
What had brought about this great change in Betty’s life? The entrance of God’s Word had brought light and life to her. In Betty, it had happened not just spiritually, but also mentally. God brought light into her darkened mind and she became normal.
We read in Daniel 1, 19 + 20 about Daniel and his three friends, all captured from the country of Israel and now living in exile in Babylon: “The king talked with them, and … not one was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the king’s personal service. In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom.”
There was something so special about Daniel and his three friends (better known to us as Shadrach, Meschach and Abednego), that the king conversed with them and had them tested against all the other Jewish young men and his own magicians and occult advisers. They were found to be not a little better, but ten times better than all others. He immediately gave them very important jobs in his kingdom.
If that was true under the Old Covenant, how much more should we be able to expect that God will help us, giving us mental and spiritual insight, because we have His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit living within us?! Not only did they have greatly increased wisdom and mental ability, but in Daniel’s case, Gifts of the Holy Spirit (These were probably A Word of Knowledge and A Word of Wisdom, perhaps Discerning of Spirits) were also operating in his life, which gave him an even greater influence and ability!
We may not be able to believe that we, our children or grandchildren might be ten times better than others, but if we belong to God by accepting Jesus Christ as our Saviour, then He wants to help us to be wiser, have more insight, gain good examination grades, learn and find answers where others cannot find the solution. But we must be open for this and start believing Him for it.
When my husband was preaching in India many people came for prayer, also lots of schoolchildren. Their request was that God would help them pass their exams. George said to them, “Yes, I will pray for you, but it does not mean that you, yourselves, will not have to study and learn. God does not encourage laziness!”
A Christian father said to his children, “Why don’t you ask God to show you what is coming in the exams? You have had such a wide range of things to learn, and not everything can come up in the exams. God can show you what to concentrate on.” His 8 year old daughter said, “O Daddy, that would be cheating! That wouldn’t be fair on the heathen kids who don’t know Jesus!” The father replied, “Well, that’s up to you, if you want to have it more difficult, but Jesus does want to help you!”
A Christian friend told us how at the garage where he was working as a mechanic, they had to repair a machine but noone seemed able to do this. Men far more experienced than he was, were unable to help, so he cried out to God to help him. Suddenly he was given the answer. The machine started and functioned properly and everyone was amazed that he was able to do this, but he testified that God had helped him. This happened on various occasions and the young man received promotion!
Have you failed your exams, your test, your interview? Do not be discouraged, God can help you to do better next time! Do your children or grandchildren have learning difficulties or things which seem to be blocking or hindering their abilities? God can overrule or change this. Start to believe that they too, will be changed and helped by the power of God. Speak the Word over their lives and praise God that he is at work.
So it is an enormous encouragement that we can believe and pray for ourselves and others, that God will give us new mental and spiritual light and understanding, the more we open ourselves up to His Word. The Bible is not just an ordinary book, it is the Book of Books! Not just printed words on paper but words of divine truth, dynamite and power, which were breathed into the spirit of many men by the Holy Spirit, and they were commanded to write them down, for us all to read and experience.
This text in the NIV says: “The unfolding of your words…”. When something is folded you cannot see it properly. Only when it is unfolded can you see its proper size, pattern, beauty, or perhaps test what it can be used for. God’s Word is the same. At first sight you may not understand it or see the enormous wealth and power it contains. Only when the Holy Spirit begins to unfold it, then you receive revelation what He is trying to show to you. It often takes time, patience, a willing heart and faith to really unfold this Word of God, but that brings great reward!
Prayer: Thank you, Heavenly Father, that you are willing to help us, each with our individual needs. Touch (… put that person’s name in here…) and give them new insight and ability, encourage them and let them see you helping them today.
You are the One who has given mental faculties, and can bring new light into our darkness. You are not bound or intimidated by our earthly IQ (Intelligence Quotient). Thank you for helping (…) at school, college, university, work today.
Thank you, Father, for unfolding your Word, bringing light and life to us. In the Name of Jesus we pray, Amen.
Leave a Reply