Haribo Pinballs
Psalm 19.7-10 (NIV)
“The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul.
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.
The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.
The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever.
The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous.
They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold.
They are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb.”
I once met a man in India who had memorised the entire New Testament. It was unbelievable and amazing. He could recite any given passage at any given moment. A walking bible! I started trying to learn bits of Scripture too – in fact, it’s a powerful discipline if you can keep it up (it’s a challenge!).
The very first bit I tried to learn was Psalm 19 – which maybe was not a good one to start with as it’s pretty long! However, it’s full of amazing imagery and so fills your mind with imagination and truth. It begins by describing God’s splendour in creation but then moves to God’s splendour in Scripture which is our passage today.
It says that the teachings and commands of God, which are contained in the Bible (the Torah or ‘the law’ was the Psalmist’s ‘Bible’) have amazing power on the human being. The Bible can refresh your soul, bring you wisdom, give you joy, and guide you with light. The Bible is therefore the most valuable thing on the planet.
All of this is summed up by drawing on the sensation of taste. If you imagine your favourite sweets or (for grown-ups) the sweetest tasting food you love – that’s how good ‘eating’ Scripture is! (For me it’s Haribo Pinballs).
Don’t miss out on what the Bible can do in your life. Even when it doesn’t feel good, doesn’t taste so immediately ‘sweet’, and isn’t easy to understand, keep going, start again another day. Trust in the voice behind the text, God himself, and follow the invitation to meet with him each day. And maybe one day, someone will be talking about how much scripture you know and, more importantly, about how your life radiates the goodness, kindness, and love of God; how your life is like a Haribo Pinball.
Prayer — Thank you God for those who have gone before us, who have inspired us, thank you God that many Saints are cheering us on in heaven right now. Send your Spirit to grow in me a hunger to read and dwell in Scripture, that my life may be sweet for others.