Food For My Soul

This is a blog I wrote last year and for some reason I never posted it. I'm not sure why, but I just found it and thought I would finally get it posted.

Philippians 4: 6-7

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

An entry from Andrea journal written on 19 Jan 2007

Lord, as I believe we are approaching the end of this cancer invasion, I thank you for all we have learned and for our growth spiritually. Sometimes I was anxious but through prayer we overcame our fears, and I learned to trust in and to lean on you. We poured our hearts out to you and made our desire and request for healing known to you. You gave us peace which we still cannot understand. A complete peace. You guarded our hearts and our minds from attacks of fear and desperation. Our faith in you has grown and we are learning how to never be anxious. I love you Father and thank you for your healing of the cancer in my body. You renew me.

As I read this entry from Andrea I think it is a good summary of her faith. It would make a good last entry into this blog don't you think? Not that this is my last entry, just that it would make a good last entry. It is about faith, about our humanness, and God's provision. Its about hope trust and faith. And that pretty much sums up life.

If you have ever faced a trial or difficulty in your life I'm sure you have read Philippians 4:6-7. It is one of those verses that you cling to in times of trouble. Andrea and I said it many times to each other. Unlike other times in my life verses like this one changed from mere words on a page to food for my soul. As if I could taste the words as I read them. They fed a need in me as a glass of cold water meets your thirst on a hot summer day. The Bible became for me a source of strength. Its words were no longer just a formation of letters but nourishment to my soul. As my body needs nutrients to functions so was the word to my soul. It was amazing to feel the words as if I could chew on them when I read. I savored them as my lips formed the words. I was torn as I wanted them to linger in my mouth but I yearned to taste the next word. Never as the Bible been so real to me, so much more then words. I know I'm repeating myself but I can't find the the right way to express how this felt. The Bible became satisfying to me. It met a need. Like being full from a good meal it put a smile on my face yet left me waiting to be hungry again.

There is such power in the Word, I hope you have experienced this in your life. Though you may have read the Bible a 100 times, it still has the power to feed your soul. It's message is so powerful the same verses can speak to you differently depending on where you are in life. Be it a time of blessing or a time of trial a time of silence or a time of closeness the Bible holds what you need. I will admit there are more times then I care to remember that I was too tired to pick it up and read, many times I just wanted to do nothing not even read the Word. I wish I could say I had a hunger as Andrea did but I do not. I will say there has never been a time that I regretted spending time in the Word. Andrea taught me that. She showed me why I needed God in my everyday life. I loved that about her, she was so practical in her faith. Nothing flashy just daily living in faith. And isn't that what we all want? We wonder what do we do with Jesus or God after the big moment when we are saved. We soon find ourselves caught up in the daily grind of life and wonder where is God in all this. That was just another thing Andrea taught me, what to do with God on a Monday afternoon. When life is just life. Andrea's had a relationship with God was part of her routine life. She prayed about everything, not that she could not make a decision, she just wanted God involved in everything about her life. Weather it be praying for a haircut or for healing Andrea's relationship with God was always important. And it was the prayers for a haircut that touched me the most. Because it to Andrea God was not someone to call in when life was hard. To her God not only cared about the largest struggle, but the smallest detail of her life.