As I
prepared to do my daily scripture reading tonight, I brought up one of my
favorite books of scripture on the internet.
I admit, I
rarely open the actual volume, though I have several versions of the Bible on
the first row of my bookcase. I simply prefer the easy access of the e-version.
(I have even been known to put on an audio tape of a portion of God’s Word, set
back in my recliner, and ‘listen away’).
In the
second chapter of the Book of 1st Peter, I came across the following
verses, and realized, once again, that His “words are spirit and they are life.”
For you see,
these familiar verses never impacted me quite the same way as they did tonight.
4 As you come to him,
the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— 5 you
also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a
holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through
Jesus Christ.
(and)
9 But you are a chosen
people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession,
that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into
his wonderful light.
And it occurs to
me that the ‘there there’ of this passage of scripture was very much akin to
the time our pastor invited the congregation to step forward at the end of the
final service of a visiting evangelist, and to stretch out their hands and prayerfully
send him on his way.
It was our congregation’s
custom to place a hand on the shoulder of the person in front of us, and enter
into joint prayer. And as I did so, I realized the person behind me had done
much the same thing.
However…
when the prayer
concluded,
…the weight of the hand remained.
Somewhat hesitant
to look around, I finally did, and by this time
…there was no one
directly behind me.
And yet, the
seeming weight of that hand remained on my shoulder long enough for me to
return to my seat, listen to the benediction, walk out the door, get in my car,
drive home and lay back in my recliner!
As I have
previously inferred, reading the passages from Peter’s 1st epistle
was strangely like that invisible, yet very tangible hand upon my shoulder.
(to be continued)
(to be continued)
By
William McDonald, PhD. Excerpt from "(Mc)Donald's Daily Diary" Vol. 49.
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