You've probably had this (or similar) experience. I remember being away from home, at the Naval Academy and later aboard ship, and experiencing an eager anticipation about getting mail from home. At first the feelings centered around the brown paper packages sent from my Mom and containing brownies and cookies (you just can't top home baked treats). When I'd sample one of those goodies I thought of home and all the love for me there (sometimes school felt more like a hostile environment). Later on, when I was dating Shirley I'd set my heart on getting notes from her. Most of them came when I was aboard ship and located thousands of miles away. I'd carefully open those letters and read them the way you'd eat the finest of meals at the best of restaurants...carefully considering every subtle meaning and picturing her as she sat and poured her thoughts into words. I especially looked for indications and expressions of affection and I delighted in feeling special and longed to be with her in person. This morning, as I was reading a Psalm, I realized that my attitude toward the Bible should be very similar. God has written the most personal of letters and He has addressed it, individually, to each of us. If we pour over the words and look for indications and expressions of affection, we'll find there are many and that they saturate every book and chapter. You've probably experienced, as I have, the amazing sense that God is speaking directly to me, at times, as the words seem to fly like an arrow to my heart. Until we can be with Him in person, we can read His letters of love and picture Him as He composed them, just for us. Reading the Bible should be like reading a love letter, because that is exactly what it is.
blessings,
Rob Smith
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