Patches of brown grass crunch beneath my feet. The sunsets I love are harshest on my backyard. The soil was prepared for bermuda sod this time last year but a heavy rain the night before washed ruts down the gentle slope, leaving the ground underneath uneven. I walk the two hundred feet from fence to fence, careful of the dips and rises, feeling grateful for the afternoon thundershowers that have become an almost daily occurrence. This has been a mild summer, even when there is no breeze and the temperatures rise in the late afternoon. One shower with its cloud cover can cause a drop of ten to twenty degrees in a matter of minutes, and I am refreshed.
“I lift my hands to you in prayer. I thirst for you as parched land thirsts for rain. Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning, for I am trusting you. Show me where to walk, for I give myself to you. Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. May your gracious Spirit lead me forward on a firm footing.”
Psalms 143:6, 8, 10 NLT
https://www.bible.com/116/psa.143.6,8,10.nlt
David’s words come back to me from my morning devotion as I continue my laps across our yard. The young shepherd knew where to find good grazing for his father’s sheep. I’m confident he scouted out more pastureland than I can imagine, but I can picture him having open-ended conversations aloud with his Heavenly Father as he pressed on day in and day out. I see his hands lifted, thanking God for the shade of a passing cloud or even for the occasional downpour. I hear him saying, “show me where to walk,” when he felt like he’d been walking in circles. I feel his relief when what looked like a rise leveled out in front of him as he thanked the Lord for firm footing. These are not the words of a scholar and poet sitting above the earth in his ivory tower. They speak of a dependence based on experience combining gratitude, petition, and praise.
I often find my voice inside God’s Word. I echo the words of the prophets, priests, poets and kings- all followers of God. As I sit with their stories opened in front of me, I feel less alone. Their thoughts resonate with my spirit, and I feel a kinship with these ancients. I confess with them, cry with them, pray prayers of intercession for my nation using their words, and praise the great God of the universe with borrowed phrases.
The Bible is my language text for communicating with God. It’s like Google Translate for my soul. God chose to reveal Himself in this way, and His Word is living and active, (NIV) alive and powerful. (Hebrews 4:12 NLT) The words are unchanged, but the Spirit gives them life and purpose in each generation. John, an apostle of Christ, wrote under the influence of the same Spirit, calling Jesus the living Word.
“In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.”
John 1:1, 4, 14 NLT
https://www.bible.com/116/jhn.1.1,4,14.nlt
I am fascinated by the written word, but I am irresistibly drawn to the living Word.
“Your word, Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens.”
Psalms 119:89 NIV
https://www.bible.com/111/psa.119.89.niv
“How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path. Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.”
Psalms 119:103-105 NIV
https://www.bible.com/111/psa.119.103-105.niv
Jesus prayed for his first disciples and for me, saying, “Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth.”
John 17:17 NLT
https://www.bible.com/116/jhn.17.17.nlt
Today, as I walk laps across my backyard, I mull over the words of David. As I walk throughout each day, I remember the words of my Savior, and I say to God, my Heavenly Father,
“I lift my hands to you in prayer. I thirst for you as parched land thirsts for rain. Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning, for I am trusting you. Show me where to walk, for I give myself to you. Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. May your gracious Spirit lead me forward on a firm footing.”
Psalms 143:6, 8, 10 NLT
A Fitting Reply 
Praise God for the Living Word of God, which reads me as I read It!
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