Loving God’s Law

“How I love your law, O Lord! It is my meditation all the day.” Psalm 119:97

Love is a curious idea. The word is bandied about so much, it has lost much of its original meaning. When my nephew Christopher brought a stray cat home, he and his siblings pleaded with my sister Peggy and my brother-in-law to let it stay. It was a scrawny, ugly thing, but Peggy decided that she would love whom her children love. It would be practice for when they brought home their chosen life partner. She grew to love Truffles even if she was a cranky, highly emotional cat who scratches at the least provocation, and only seemed to return Chris’ affection. Now they have three cats, Truffles, Oreo and Pepper, my silent companions when I am outside in the garden praying and reading my Bible. My family shares a garden with my sister’s family. 

I use this as an example of how one can learn to love. It’s not usually an automatic “love at first sight” sort of thing. When I started reading the Bible, it was hard going. If it was a love affair, it was an on again, off again dalliance, with me stopping as soon as there was something I read that I disagreed with. Then I would go back to it, and begrudging read without quite knowing what I was reading and where I was going. That phase took years. Then after a Life in the Spirit Seminar when someone prayed over me, I started reading the Bible as if there was a flashlight on the words and everything was important. That phenomenon did not last long but I got the impetus to read the Bible every day. 

Whenever we offer God something of ours, our time, energy, whatever, we always receive more in return. Today I can say that opening God’s book is like opening up a palace of treasures and I look forward to reading scripture. A dear sister talked to me yesterday during our prayer meeting. She said she gets excited reading the Bible in the morning. I can totally relate. The Word is beautiful, compelling, pregnant with meaning, and it speaks to us whatever our circumstance. My day would not be complete without it. Truly I love Your Word O Lord!