WATCHWORD:
18 Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. Matthew 18:18-20
Meditation:
There I Am in the Midst…
As I write this, one of our brothers in our Bible study group is in the hospital with a serious medical problem. He’s been in our prayers for past weeks, while there has been progress, and we are encouraged, we continue to speak to our Lord about a healing. We have another brother in our studies that we miss and pray for. His physical condition prevents his attending, but recordings of our discussions helps keep him within our group, and the fact that we are recording reminds us of his presence.
I am tempted to write that the friends we pray for are leaders in our group, and in their absence, we really miss what they add to our study. But that would only be part of the story. Each week when we gather there is anywhere from fifteen to twenty around our table, representing six or seven congregations from surrounding towns. We are drawn by our love of God and our desire to know Him better. We are also drawn by our mutual trust and love for one another, and the support we feel in being part of this gathering.
It occurs to me that while our friends are not with us, and we do miss their contribution to our discussions, the fact is every person sitting around our weekly table is an integral part of our group and clearly illustrates what Jesus has told us, about different gifts contributing to the whole. Some take the form of words, for others it is simply their presence, still others may be viewed as facilitators. Each plays a part, each one makes the whole complete, and the absence of any one is felt by the group.
I suspect that all of us, the readers of Watchwords, have been part of Christian education classes, group Bible studies, those times when we have followed a read-through-the-Bible plan on our own, that our understanding of God’s Word has grown. Sometimes our gatherings are more formal, following a set plan, studies by Art Lindsey, looking deeply into the Case for Christ; perhaps Devin Brown’s discussion of Mere Christianity; or J.I. Packer’s Knowing God. Or, like our group, pick a Book of the Bible, and with shared leadership we work our way through, relying on commentaries and our own understanding. Whatever the plan, being in the Word has great spiritual rewards.
We miss our friends, their presence, their contributions to our discussion, and I know that they miss the gathering, as well. Being “in the Word” as part of a study, being an active member of a church, being true to our own personal and private time with God’s Word, regular times in prayer, all of these strengthens our faith and draws us into a more personal relationship with Christ. But, mostly, we all marvel at the truth in Christ’s promise that when we turn to the Word, there I Am in the midst. Amen.
Prayer:
Dear God, we thank you for everyone that studies your Word today and ask that you surround us with your powerful, life-changing presence. Thank you for loving each of us and for calling us to walk with you. We come before you as we gather, together and apart, and declare our dependence on you. Be a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. Fill our hearts with your love, fill our words and conversations with truth and grace. Father, thank You for sending Your son, Jesus Christ, to die in our place and to pay the price for our sins. We can never offer enough thanks for Your grace, mercy and love. We want to serve you with all that we have. Lead and direct us in the way we should go today, and all days. We want to serve you and your Kingdom. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
