A Song of Privilege

Sing them over again to me
Wonderful words of life
Let me more of their beauty see
Wonderful words of life
Words of life and beauty teach me faith and duty

Beautiful words, wonderful words
Wonderful words of life
Beautiful words, wonderful words
Wonderful words of life

“Wonderful Words of Life” Eddy Arnold

Cracker crumbs littered the carpet, but it was the only place to stretch out in the airport. The employees went home for the night, and there did not seem to be many options for outgoing flights at 3 am. Strangely enough, few people were up at such an hour to call for advice, so prayer had to be my first option. I prayed for direction and wisdom as I claimed every verse that came to mind.

For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him…

2 Chronicles 16:9

I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go:
I will guide thee with mine eye. Psalm 32:8

Psalm 32:8

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart;
and lean not unto thine own understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge him,
and he shall direct thy paths.  Proverbs 3:5-6

Memorizing verses prepares for moments just like these. As I opened my email to look again at our cancelled flight confirmation, the option to rent a car jumped into my line of vision. That could work. I followed the prompts and secured a confirmation number, but the rental company would not open for another hour. As I waited, the “what-ifs” kept me awake.

Could I drive six hours on no sleep?

What if the rental car company did not actually have a car for us? Could I get back into the airport?

What if the roads were bad and we got stranded in the middle of nowhere?

I stopped to talk to a security guard before we stepped out of the airport. He affirmed my suspicion that once we left the airport, we would have to secure a ticket to reenter. He also let me know that the salt trucks were at work, but the roads were not great. It had taken him twice as long to get to work that morning.

“Trust in the Lord.” “He shall direct thy paths.”

His Words rang in my ears as I let the girls know the plan I had in mind. With the faith that God would help us and go with us, my daughters and I trudged out the exit toward the rental car shuttle. Several others had the same thought, and the line at the rental company lasted an hour and a half. Just as I secured my car, a man in the back of the line discovered that they had sold out already. It was 6 am. Had we not taken that step of faith when we did, we would have missed our window of opportunity.

By God’s grace, I drove the six hours without falling asleep at the wheel. We did run into a solid sheet of icy roads about halfway to our destination, but He kept us safe and out of the way of those sliding off into the ditches. The whole trip showcased God’s promises of care and help in time of need. I learned to believe His Word even when I could not see what the outcome would be.

As I read the account of Noah (Genesis 6-9) this morning, the faith it took to believe God when no one else did really resonated. Noah was the only one who heard God’s voice. God knew Noah was the only one who would believe Him enough to obey. Because of Noah’s willingness to follow God’s instructions without knowing the outcome, he saved his whole family. He did his best to save others with them, but they only mocked and scoffed. Their scorning lasted until it started to rain, but by then, their door of opportunity was closed.

Hearing the Word of God is a great privilege. Many generations before us longed to hear the words of God and read them for themselves. Many men died so that we can hold a Bible in our hands. Without it, we would not know God’s love for mankind by sending Jesus to die for sin. We would be ignorant of His promises and the hope of heaven. We would not know of His judgment to come on those who refuse to repent of their sin.

God shares His secrets with those who will read His Word and do what it says. If you have not yet begun reading it every day, why not begin today? You do not have to read the whole Bible in a year, just decide to read for five minutes a day. Proverbs is a practical book to start in. If you are a new believer, the book of John will teach you more about Jesus. Pick a book of the Bible to begin and commit to read a little bit every day for the month of January.

You will never be sorry that you spent time reading God’s Word. Do not miss your window of opportunity! Let 2023 be the year that you begin reading and obeying the Word of God.

Have a blessed New Year, my friends!

For His Glory,

Erica B.