Did you know that the second most published book in the history of published books is the boyscout handbook? The most published book in the history of published books is the Bible, but second to it... the Boyscout handbook. Interesting that both are considered by some to be a guidebook of sorts.
I recently read a quote about the Bible. It goes, and this is not a direct quote, we use the Bible as guide book that is supposed to show us the way through life. But the Bible is actually a mirror that reflects back to us who we really are. That sent me on a rabbit trail of thought. The idea that the Bible reflects back to us who we really are is unfortunately a somewhat novel way of understanding the scriptures. That we can better understand ourselves by better understanding God's Word speaks to the passage that God's word is "living and active". However to say that God's word IS one thing and NOT something else is potentially limiting the scope of impact for scripture.
At times in my life I have needed guidance or wisdom and the Proverbs were a guide book for me. There have been times in my life when I was broken and hurt, and the Psalms brought comfort and rest. There have been times when I was not really looking for anything and was just reading in the Bible and out of nowhere, something leaped off the page and like a jackhammer it shook me.
There have been times when I need to learn about leadership and life of David or Moses spoke to me. I think the point is that the Bible is at times a mirror to better understand ourselves, but the Bible is also a guidebook for those who are lost, it is a cast for those who are broken, it is a jackhammer for those who need to be shaken, it is a warm blanket for those who feel left out in the cold. Since God is the author, the Bible really can speak to people on their level. It will speak to you, where you are at, no matter where that place happens to be. God is big enough to handle all of our issues and baggage and struggles and His Word is powerful enough to pierce to our hearts and deal with the core issues that we carry.
How often have we tried to figure our life out on our own. How often have we tried to fix our problems, mend our brokenness, discover who we are, without using the tools that God gave us in the first place, His very words. His Word is usually a great place to start. It will lead you and guide you, it will show you who you really are.
Just a thought...
