I like to play the word game Scrabble. I have played since my youth and still enjoy the challenge of making words from the letters available to me, whether on the board or in my “rack”. The more you play, the better you become, assuming you are playing against the right opponent.
Nowadays, technology has made it so easy to go online and play the game at your own skill level. You can win every time (or most of the time), or you can play at a level higher than your current ability in order to learn, usually by being schooled by the computer.
Scrabble players know scrabble words. We know odd, unusual words that may never come up in casual conversation, but can be very valuable in a game of scrabble. We learn two letter words, words with the letters “Q”, “Z”, and “X”, in order to keep our rack clear and refreshed. The point is not only to use the letters, but to use them in a way that returns the most value… at the same time, blocking or limiting the opponent’s ability to score.
Bible readers know bible things. Principles, truths, laws, and promises are given to us in the Word of God. For those who read the bible regularly, they recognize patterns and practices that always return value. Scriptures that deal with prayer, faith, obedience, and giving, for example. Bible readers, like a good Scrabble player, can see things others can’t, and can make moves to keep their “rack” clear and refreshed.
They understand when certain things can be used, to block the enemy, to restrict his progress or success. They know from experience, and from talking about the word with others who “play the game well”. They may not know how the word works; only that it does. It’s like asking me what “Qi” means. I may not know, but in Scrabble, it’s a valuable word, and helps to use the “Q” without a “U”.
Better Scrabble players understand the strategy of the game, and they play defensively in order to keep their opponent from maximizing double and triple word spaces. Better bible readers do the same. They keep themselves out of harm’s way, adjusting their lifestyles and activities to minimize their opponent’s opportunities to do major damage.
A little sacrifice now can save you a bitter defeat in the end. Learn your bible. Use it to make progress towards victory in the spirit, but also to block the schemes of the enemy. Promises, laws, principles, and truths can be as useful and valuable as “blanks” in a Scrabble game. You need to know the word so you can respond to whatever the enemy plays on you.
Too often novice Scrabble players trade in letters because they don’t know the “word” they could have played, giving their opponent an advantage that can be hard to overcome. So too in the spirit, we give up or pass on responding because we do not know the Word. God has a word for you; it’s in the Bible, play to win!
Everyday God... 