Whispered Words of Wisdom
Susanna Lewis gathers quiet lessons from Scripture, showing how gentle wisdom can guide speech, choices, and relationships.
Read Time: 4 minutes
As I stood on the sun-soaked riverbank, witnessing a young man’s baptism, I was struck by the simplicity of his grandfather’s words: “Read the Word of God every day.” Although it was this simple charge given to our new brother which initially struck me, right after that it was the whispered word of a friend which caused me to reflect: “I didn’t get that till way too late in life!” It was a confronting confession.
God’s Word is a gift, freely given, yet how often are we too slow to unwrap it? We meander through life, distracted by the whispers of this world, realizing later we hadn’t really had ears to hear. The psalmist writes, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” (Psalm 119:105 ESV). Yet perhaps at times, we neglect the source of all light and choose to willingly stumble in the dark?
But our God is patient, sharing this wisdom over and over with us. Through the faithful voices of grandparents, parents, friends, and mentors, the exhortation continues to echo: “Read the Word of God every day.”
As Jesus said, “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4). Even Christ himself went to the Word of God as his source of life and wisdom.
Faithful voices have been a steady presence in my life, whispering this sound wisdom through the years. I have been privileged to have had the Word of God in my life since childhood, but sadly, I’ve also known the pain of the path of neglecting it. Looking back at those times of neglect, I can see clearly that without the daily reading of God’s word, my life quickly becomes self-centered and unmanageable. But with it, I find a strange and settled peace that nothing can destroy, as I learn to live the prayer of our Lord—“Not my will, but thine be done.” (Luke 22:42).
Today, I’m grateful for the faithful voice of those who have whispered to me, “Read the Word of God every day.” They have been and continue to be a channel for God’s love, gently guiding me back to the source of all truth.
As that grandfather and grandson on the riverbank that day testify that life’s seasons do change, one thing must remain constant: we must start the day the “Israelite way,” gathering our daily manna before the heat of the sun comes upon us.
I don’t know about your family, but in ours, we are always learning how to navigate the changing seasons. Adjusting to how best to prioritize the daily reading of God’s word as the family grows, shifts, and changes. Below, I’ll share some practical tools that have helped us recently to make this time special:
1. S.T.E.P. Meditation
- Scripture: Read a chapter, choose a verse, and write it out
- Truth: Identify a biblical truth from the verse
- Exhortation: a personal exhortation starting with your name
- Prayer: Write a short prayer based on your meditation
2. Storyboard/Journalling:
Draw sketches of the characters in a story, describing who they are. Compile a family tree with simple figures to clarify the relationships in a story. This task is helpful for complicated stories & families, such as the patriarchs in Genesis or the life of David.
3. Committing to heart:
Divide a page into small boxes—one for each chapter of the book or section. In each section, draw a simple picture for each chapter, hiding the chapter number in the picture. This activity has helped us memorize simple outlines of key books (such as Genesis, Daniel, Acts, and Luke).
Depending on the stage we are at in life, it might be a full early morning hour set aside or a quick, disrupted children’s Bible story, but no matter what, the constant must be the daily intake of the Word of our God.
This habit is how we are transformed by the renewing of our minds. The word of God, first thing in the morning, turns our day from fearful to faithful, from doubtful to diligent, and from painful to praiseful. We can then step out of our quiet place and look the world in the eye, knowing that we have first connected and drawn our strength from the Power of the Universe, and that He is with us always.
Listening to the whispered words of wisdom: “Read the Word of God every day,” we also have the charge to continue to whisper to those around us, the very same words of exhortation that the faithful grandfather charged his newly baptized grandson with on the sunny riverbank that day—“Read the Word of God every day.”
Susanna Lewis,
Christchurch North Ecclesia, NZ
Here we have broken the Book of Daniel into separate boxes for each chapter.
Here’s the book of Acts:
