St. Simon and St. Jude Day II — Because You Give Me Life

When God's Word Becomes a Relationship

I will never forget your commandments, because by them you give me life. 

— Psalm 119:93

Yesterday, we considered Moses' beautiful description of God's teaching falling like rain, gathering like dew upon the grass, quietly nourishing new growth. Today, as we continue our reflections leading to the Feast of St. Simon and St. Jude, we turn from sharing God's Word with others to receiving it ourselves. Psalm 119 is an extraordinary celebration of the Scriptures, filled with expressions of delight, gratitude, longing, and devotion. Even when the psalmist is surrounded by enemies or confronted with adversity, he returns again and again to God's commandments. He studies them, meditates upon them, remembers them, and treasures them. They are not merely rules to be obeyed or obligations to be fulfilled. They are a source of life.

I have noticed that people who become deeply engaged in studying Scripture often develop an extraordinary appetite for it. The more they read, the more they discover. One passage illuminates another. A familiar story takes on new meaning when considered alongside something written centuries earlier or later. Themes emerge, connections become apparent, and passages that once seemed obscure suddenly come alive. It can become difficult to put the Bible down! And like any meaningful relationship, the experience deepens with time and attention. We begin to recognize patterns, remember conversations, and appreciate things we might never have noticed during a casual acquaintance. What initially seemed like an enormous collection of ancient writings becomes an ongoing conversation with God.

One of the apostles we commemorate this week, Jude, asked Jesus a question during the Last Supper. He wanted to know why Jesus intended to reveal himself to his followers and not to the world. Jesus answered, “Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them” (John 14:23). What a remarkable promise! The psalmist treasured God's commandments because they gave him life. Now Jesus speaks of a relationship in which God himself comes to dwell with those who love him. John's Gospel begins by identifying Christ as the eternal Word who became flesh. The written Word and the living Word are not identical, but for Christians they are profoundly connected. Through Scripture we come to know the God who has revealed himself personally through His Son: Jesus Christ. Studying God's Word becomes more than acquiring information about God. It becomes part of knowing Jesus, and His Father.

Throughout my life, I have observed something about myself with almost astonishing consistency. When I spend time studying Scripture and praying, I do better. I am more peaceful, less anxious, more patient, and wiser in the way I approach life's challenges. I feel more grounded, more confident, and more genuinely content. When I neglect those practices, something changes. Life may look much the same from the outside, and I may continue projecting happiness or confidence, but inwardly I know that something isn't right. I have experienced this pattern so many times, over so many years, that its predictability is almost remarkable. And yet, even when I recognize what is happening, I sometimes resist doing the very thing I know will help. Pride, laziness, stubbornness, or simple human rebelliousness can keep me from returning to something whose value I have already demonstrated to myself countless times. How strange that we human beings can recognize what gives us life and still turn away from it!

People sometimes ask what evidence we have that God's Word is true. I understand the question, and I don't expect my personal experience to settle it for anyone else. But my evidence is deeply personal and intimate. I cannot put it on a laboratory table or offer it as proof that everyone else must accept. I can only testify to what I have experienced, repeatedly, throughout my life. And when the psalmist declares, “I will never forget your commandments, because by them you give me life,” I find myself saying, “Yes! That's exactly what I mean!” God's Word gives me life. And I know it.

Perhaps this is one of the most wonderful things about our relationship with God. We do not have to master every theological question, understand every difficult passage, or resolve every uncertainty before beginning to know him more deeply. We can simply open the Scriptures, spend time in prayer, and return tomorrow to do it again. As we become more familiar with God's Word, we may discover that the relationship itself is changing us, sometimes gradually and almost imperceptibly, like dew gathering upon the grass. And when I find myself drifting away, as I inevitably do from time to time, I need not devise an elaborate plan for finding my way back. I already know where to begin. The Word that has nourished me throughout my life is still there, inviting me to return.

Reflectionary is an ongoing conversation with Scripture. If these reflections are meaningful to you, please subscribe and come back often. And by all means, join the conversation—your questions, disagreements, insights and reflections are always welcome.