The word of knowledge (1 Cor. 12:8b) imparts the general knowledge of things concerning God and the Lord (8:1-7). The word of knowledge speaks in a general way about the Lord Jesus’ dying for us, His accomplishing redemption for us, and His relationship with us. The word of knowledge conveys the things concerning God and concerning Christ the Lord in a general way. First Corinthians 8:1-7 is an illustration of the word of knowledge. The word of knowledge is mainly for our understanding through teaching (1 Cor. 14:26). When I read a portion of the word to someone with some explanation and definition to impart some knowledge to him through my teaching, my word is a word of knowledge.
The deeper and higher word is the word of wisdom; the shallower and lower word is the word of knowledge. The word of knowledge, however, is also a help as a basic factor for the Christian meetings. Many times we get the word of knowledge in our understanding first. Then when we pray, contact God, talk to God, this word of knowledge may become the word of wisdom.
Revelation, knowledge, and teaching, all of the word, are needed in the church meetings (1 Cor. 14:6). We need the word of knowledge and the word of teaching, but we must eventually have the word of revelation. The word of knowledge and the word of teaching may become the word of revelation. To get the word of knowledge is superficial. To get the word of revelation, the word of wisdom, is deeper. Thus, we need to contact the Lord more, to stay with the Lord for a longer time. By our staying with the Lord, our spirit will be exercised. Then the word which we know in our understanding will become the word in our spirit, the word of wisdom. This word will minister life to us, bring light to us, and bring the divine energy into our spiritual being. We have to learn to know the word of knowledge and the word of teaching and let these words become the words of wisdom in our spirit. When the word becomes the word of wisdom in our spirit, it is spirit and life (John 6:63). What we read in the Bible may just remain in our being as the word of knowledge and the word of teaching. But if we would spend more time in the presence of the Lord, this word will become the word of wisdom in our spirit to be our very life supply.
As believers, we need to be filled with and soaked in the word. Colossians 3:16a says that we need to let the word of Christ dwell in us richly. We need to receive the word of God into us as drinking water to be filled with the word, and we need to dive into the word as bathing water to be soaked in the word. When we are filled with and soaked in the word, we are completely one with the word. Within and without we have the word. We need to be fully wrapped up with the word, soaked with the word outwardly and saturated with the word inwardly. This soaking and filling will make us one with the word to be a man of God’s word.
The word also needs to become the believers’ singing (Col. 3:16b). The word should become our song or our hymn. We do not necessarily need to have a written melody to sing the word. We can make a natural, spontaneous melody. We need to sing the word according to our own melody. If we could get a melody for the word, that would be better. But when we spend time to get a melody, that may kill our enjoyment. When the word is revealed within us as the word of wisdom, we will be happy, and we need to sing this word. We do not have to be melodious singers in order to sing the word. We can make a joyful noise unto the Lord (Psa. 100:1) and rejoice in the Lord by singing His word.
We also need to pray-read the word (Eph. 6:17-18). Pray-reading was a term invented by us to describe the practice of reading the word of God by prayer and with prayer. Our spiritual dictionary has been broadened to include this word. When something is invented in a culture, there is the need of a new word. The unabridged dictionaries are much larger than they were fifty years ago. Language goes along with culture. Now that we have been transferred into the kingdom of God, we have a spiritual culture, a Christian culture. We need the term of pray-reading to match the reality in our Christian culture.
Many saints pray-read throughout church history, but they did not have the term pray-reading. Many of us pray-read the word without any realization of what we were doing. After we got saved, we may have read a verse that was so inspiring and pleasing to us. Spontaneously, we repeated it in the way of praying. Andrew Murray was one among many saints who turned God’s word into prayer (see ‘Lord...Thou Saidst’, pp. 66-67, published by Living Stream Ministry). Many saints throughout church history pointed out that the best way to understand the word is to read it prayerfully.
To read the word with prayer and by prayer, to pray-read the word, is the best way to read the word. Mere reading only needs our eyes and our understanding, our mentality. But to receive God’s word into the depths of our being, our spirit is needed, and the prevailing way to exercise our spirit is by praying. Whenever we pray, we spontaneously exercise our spirit. Then what we read with our eyes and understand in our mentality will go into our spirit through our prayer. Every word in the Bible needs our pray-reading.