The unfolding of Your word gives light;
it gives understanding to the simple.
Psalm 119:130
In the late ‘90s my family and I were living on Ft. Campbell Kentucky. There, my father was a Chinook pilot for the 101st and later became an aircraft accident investigator for the Army Safety Center. After he retired, he remained in the safety industry for several years. All of this is to say that safety is in his blood, it's part of who he is and, in turn, was very much a part of me and my brother’s upbringing. When I turned 16, my father helped me to prepare a basic emergency kit for my car with everything from basic tools to jumper cables, reflective gear, basic first aid items, and a few local maps. Yes, this was before Google Maps or Waze. One might think that having this emergency kit would make me prepared for just about anything. The truth is that the kit is largely useless if I didn’t know how to use it and when to use most items in the emergency kit. It is especially useless if I choose not to use the items. For example, a map is especially useless to me unless I intentionally unfold the map, figure out where I am and where I am going to determine my path.
Our Father in Heaven has prepared us with an amazing emergency kit - perhaps, the best. The Bible is full of great scripture and parables to advise us, prepare us, guide us, correct us, and reassure us. Scripture is wonderful to have on hand, and we all have those special verses that we lean on when times get tough. But are you getting the most out of your emergency kit or do you just have a couple of tools on hand?
Look at the beginning of Psalm 119:130 – “The UNFOLDING of Your words gives light.” The UNFOLDING makes all the difference just as the unfolding of the map made all the difference for me when I was trying to determine my way in the ‘90s. The unfolding is an intentional act to learn and understand. When you are unfolding scripture, you’re seeking to understand the meaning of the words and you’re setting the stage for the Holy Spirit to speak into you. The unfolding demonstrates that you’re interested in learning more. According to the ending of Psalm 119:130 – “when we unfold the words, it gives light and an understanding to the simple.” A light for what? Psalm 119:105 – a light for our path. Our way in this world.
Today, I encourage you to intentionally UNFOLD the scripture that is offered through this series so that your path may be lit with the word of God and he can fill you with the understanding that he intended through your obedience. What does this look like? It’s different for everyone but it may look like this; Open your physical Bible, read it, re-read it, underline it, and seek out other versions and interpretations. Write it on a Post-it and put it in a prominent place for you to reference throughout the day. Pray about it and be open to the Holy Spirit speaking into you. Talk about it with other believers to hear their perspectives. You’ll be surprised how useful your intentional UNFOLDING becomes. And even better, you’ll continue to learn more about how perfect His love for us and how perfect His plan for us is when you see the different parts come together as you dig deeper. Choose to UNFOLD the “map” our Heavenly Father has prepared for us in the best emergency kit ever put together.
If you’re seeking an opportunity to dig deeper, there is a workshop planned for ladies of all ages and backgrounds to look at the BIG STORY and perhaps UNFOLD a few pieces of Scripture together using various study tools and methods.
Everyone is welcome!
July 16, 2023 2-5pm
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