The Lord’s living and solid word is contained in the Bible as the written word of God. We all need to learn how to handle this written word. We should not read the Bible as we would read a newspaper. The Bible is not merely a piece of literature; it is the word of God, which is the very embodiment of the mysterious and abstract Christ. Hence, the Bible is altogether different from other written materials.
That the Bible is a unique book is proven by the fact that anytime we come to the Bible with a seeking heart, we immediately have the sensation that we are in the presence of God. Perhaps before we even open the Bible or read from it, as soon as we pick it up, we have the sensation that we have come into the presence of God. We cannot experience the same thing by picking up a secular magazine, even if we say, “Lord, I am coming into Your presence.” The sensation we have of the Lord’s presence when we come to the Bible is not a psychological matter or something superstitious. When we come to the Bible, our psychology is involved in receiving the sensation that we are in the presence of the Lord, but this sensation is based on the fact that we are indeed in His presence. When we read a magazine, however, even if we exercise our psychology to try to produce the same sensation, we will not be able to do it. Actually, the more we try this, the less we will have God’s presence.
Second Timothy 3:16a says, “All Scripture is God-breathed.” The word of the Bible is God’s breath and even God’s breathing. This is a great matter. Whenever we come to the Bible, we come under God’s breathing. Although we may never have realized this, we have probably experienced it many times. When we come to the Bible, we often receive inspiration. This inspiration is God’s breathing. If we come to a table or a blackboard, we could never receive inspiration through these objects. However, when we come to the Bible, we are filled with inspiration. We receive inspiration when we come to the Bible because the Bible contains God’s breath.
I have been coming to the Bible for over fifty years. Since the day I was saved, this book has never left me. Whenever I come to the Bible, I am immediately under God’s inspiration. This inspiration always enlightens me and supplies me. It often rebukes me, corrects me, adjusts me, and shows me all my wrongdoings. The word of the Bible is living. Many of us can testify that when we come to the Bible, even before we open it, we are inwardly rebuked. We may suddenly realize, “Last night I was too strong with my wife. I insisted that I was right and that she was wrong. I told her that even with the help of a group of angels she could never subdue me. However, this morning I came to the Bible, and after simply picking it up, the light shined within me and exposed my shortcoming. There was no need for a group of angels to come—merely a little breathing subdued me. O Lord, forgive me for my behavior last night.” Many of us have had this kind of experience. This proves that the Bible is not an ordinary, common book but something divine.
We can all testify that the Bible is truly God’s breathing. It is not only the breath of God objectively; it is actually God’s breathing subjectively. Whenever we come to the Bible, we receive the breath of God. If we do not come to the Bible during the week and only pick it up on Lord’s Day morning before we come to the meeting, there will be no way for us to abide in the Lord. To pick up the Bible is one thing, but to come to the Bible is another thing.
In order to abide in the Lord, we need to come to the Word time after time, day after day. This is not a superstition; it is a spiritual fact. The Bible is the word of God, and the word of God is God’s breathing. The way to contact the Lord is through His word. Someone may ask, “Where is God today that I may touch Him?” We should answer, “He is embodied in the words of the Bible, and the Bible is His breathing. In order to contact God, simply come to the Bible.” According to my experience of many years, there is no better way to contact the Lord.
Some Christians say that we should be silent in the morning. They say that being silent is the best way to contact the Lord. I was taught this as a young believer, and I tried to practice this. However, I found it difficult to be silent. Moreover, when I was silent, many evil thoughts came into my mind. Others told me, “You need to learn to calm yourself down and reject all the evil thoughts.” I tried many times, but I never succeeded. Being silent is not the way. The way is to come to the Word. When we come to the Bible and read it, the word of God repels all the evil thoughts and chases away all the demons. This is a fact that we can all testify of. We do not need to exercise to be silent. Rather, we simply need to come to the Word. When we touch the Lord’s word, we contact the Lord Himself. When we take in the Lord’s word, the word abides in us, and this abiding word is the Lord Himself.