Bible Roulette

I love my scriptures.  I have learned so much studying them.  I have study aids and books that I use to help me understand the more abstract and difficult passages (I am about to start studying Isaiah, oh my!)

I wish I could say that my scripture study was consistent. There are times when I get lost in the study, and an hour will pass by before I know it.  Other times it is difficult for me to get into the spirit of things and I only read a verse or two.

What I love most about the scriptures is that I know that they are one of the ways that I can hear what God has to tell me.  I've heard it said, "If you want to talk to God, pray.  If you want to hear him, read the scriptures."

Sometimes I don't want to study the facts, the history and the stories.  Sometimes, when I am feeling down, lonely, or just need a boost, I don't want a history lesson- I just want to hear Him.

When I feel like that, like I did this morning, I do something that my mother taught me when I was young.  She called it "Bible Roulette." I know, the name sounds almost sacrilegious, but bear with me.  It is quite simply, really.  I say a sincere prayer, then, with closed eyes, I run my fingers over the edge of the pages until I feel impressed to stop.  I let my book fall open and read the first verse that catches my eye.

This morning I did that three times.  Here are the verses I came to in order:

Amos 5:4 "...seek me and ye shall live."
Alma 30:44 "...The scriptures are laid before the, yea, and all things denote there is a God."
Deuteronomy 20:4 "For the Lord your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you, against your enemies, to save you."

Three random verses that, when put together, say something great: Seek me and you'll make it.  Look for me in the scriptures.  I am the Lord, your God, and I am with you.  I will fight for you.  I will save you.  

I tried this once while visiting with a good friend of mine. She was making choices that were bringing her sadness.  She said she wasn't ready to stop her habits and come back to church.  I asked if we could read once scripture before I left.  I ran my thumb across the edge of the pages until she said stop.  I opened to this verse, "I beseech of you that you do not procrastinate the day of your repentance until the end."  She came back to church.

A few years ago, a matter was weighing heavily on my heart.  I knelt in prayer by my bed and wept. After what seem hours, I still had not received an answer to my plea.  At that point, my prayers had turned into a simple, Are you even there?   Through my tears I grabbed my Bible and let it fall open.  I looked down, and through my tears I read, "And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not."  At that moment, I no longer felt alone. The Spirit testified to me that God was there, and that my Savior also was aware of me. My tears of sorrow turned to tears of joy and relief.

Some might say that it is just coincidence.  They might think that since the scriptures are full of  wonderful verses, that the ones I land on are mere happenstance. Maybe.  But, I choose to believe otherwise.  I believe that God talks to us in ways that we can hear- when we are willing to listen.  Even through Bible roulette.

Try it, and see if you believe, too. 

A Good One-liner

Fortune cookies are popular for two reasons: First, they are tasty.  Second, they usually pack a big, important message into a small, but profound, one-liner.

One-liners can strike the fear, say with the old "It's not you, it's me." Other one-liners warm the cockles of our hearts:  "You complete me"

Other one-liners that might ring a bell: "I'm lovin' it"; "I got you, Babe"; "Use the Force"; "Tomorrow is another day!" (my favorite diet line!)

With one simple line comes so much more: memories, meaning, and feelings. It seems, the less words you use, the more powerful the message can be. I think I like them so much because one line of information seems all my brain can take sometimes! I'm not sure if it's my cranial capacity, attention span or what, but given anything much longer than one or two pages, and I'm lost (hence the short posts I write)- but give me a good one-liner, and I get it!

I think the Savior must have known that about me, and that perhaps there are many more like me out there, because he had some of the best one-liners ever uttered or written. Here are some of my favorites:

Ye are my friends (John 15:14)

Be not afraid, only believe (Mark 5:36)

I am the bread of life (John 6 48)

Have faith in God (Mark 11:22)

He that is not with me is against me (Matthew 12:30)

If ye love me, keep my commandments (John 14:15)

Follow me (Mark 2:14)

Thy faith hath made the whole (Mark 10:52)

Weep not (Luke 13:13) (a very special one-liner for me)

If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them (John 13:17)

Peace, be still (Mark 4:39)

I have overcome the world (John 16:33)

There are many more, which I might share in another post sometime. There are also a great many more found in the scriptures, spoken by those who were with him.

For with God nothing shall be impossible (Luke 1:37)

He is not here, for he is risen (Matthew 28:6)

If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole (Mark 5:28)

One thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see (John 9:25)

Lord, I believe (John 9:38)

And, we can't forget, of course, Paul- the great missionary:

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ (Romans 1:16)

Charity never faileth (1 Corinthians 13:8)

For we walk by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7)

One Lord, one faith, one baptism (Ephesians 4:5)

I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me (Philippians 4:13)

I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith (2 Timothy 4:7) (OK- it's more like three lines- but I so love this one!)

There are even some gems in the Old Testament I've found:

Ye shall not fear them: for the Lord your God he shall fight for you (Deut. 3:22)

Who is on the Lord's side? (Exodus 32:26)

Let there be light (Genesis 1:14)

I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee (Joshua 1:5)

Intreat me not to leave thee...for wither thou goest, I will go (Ruth 1:16)

Here am I (Samuel 1:4)

I've hear the question asked, "How can I relate to people that lived thousands of years ago in a completely different culture?" "Are the scriptures truly for us today?"

The answer is unequivocally, "Yes!" A one-liner taught us that "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever" (Hebrews 13:8). So is his gospel. It is the same truth, the same gospel, the same plan of Salvation, the same Savior who was "foreordained before the foundation of the world..." (1 Peter 1:20).

The knowledge that the scriptures are for me brings me great peace. I can read these wonderful one-liners, and know they are for me. I put them together, and I can hear the Savior say to me, "Michelle, ye are my friend. Have faith in God. Weep not,thy faith hath made thee whole. I am the bread of life. Be not afraid, only believe. If ye love me, keep my commandments, happy are ye if ye do them. Follow me. I have overcome the world."

In turn, others' words become my words, "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ.I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me. With God nothing shall be impossible. Lord, I believe." And hopefully, at the end of it all, I will be able to speak the words of Paul, with all sincerity and truthfulness, "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith."

In the one-line words of the Savior, "Search the scriptures...they are they which testify of me." (John 5:39)

I don't know how it's done, but words, one-liners to complete books, have changed my life. I share the sentiment of a man miraculously healed by the Savior, who said, "one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see." (John 9:25).