“There is a world of difference between knowing the Word to God and knowing the God of the Word.”
I read that quote in my latest obsessions of Tessa Afshar books. She’s a biblical fiction author and I’m on a book binge I must confess. But for me, sometimes reading these books brings about faith, grace, mercy, and the Bible and all its teachings and wisdom to what I like to call “heart moments”. I can get stuck as this quote says simply wanting to know the Bible more. Rather than falling in love with the God of the Bible. I love diving into the Bible to understand it more. To connect Old and New Testaments. To find symbolic meanings. And that’s not wrong. But I can get stuck in the trap of knowledge vs heart. Information vs soul. And to make another confession, heart and souls comes a lot harder to me than mind and knowledge. So these Biblical Fictions help me in this process. Are they semi for entertainment…. Absolutely. Do they replace the Bible… absolutely not. But I share this to show there are many ways to connect with the Lord. You don’t have to just spend mornings propped in your special chair, hot coffee in hand, pretty blanket nicely laid out, Bible on lap with your pretty journal and special pen. In fact, this idea cringes some people. Example my husband. My morning routine would bore him to death and stir him crazy rather than connect with Jesus. He would rather be out in His creation alone, on hike, run, or bike, listening to the Word and gazing at His beauty.
So if you feel stuck or dry in your daily connection with the Lord, I encourage you to switch it up. Find a new pace. A new read. A new way to let God speak to your heart and soul. Then come back to the Word. Because you need both. The God of the Word and the Word of God.
