‘All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.’     2 Timothy 3:16-17

We have been working quite hard for the last few days in our explorations of Biblical meditation, so today it is time to redress the balance and emphasise the role of the Holy Spirit within the discipline.  Without Him, we could find ourselves using the Bible in the same way as we would Shakespeare or some other poet or playwright, being inspired by its beauty and scope but failing to nourish our spiritual life despite all our efforts.

Whilst it is perfectly acceptable to be moved by the words of scripture, the verse for consideration today suggests that God’s word does more than this – it ‘equips us for every good work’ via the four methods listed.  None of us comes out of a theatre feeling rebuked, so there must be a further element to our meditation that leaves room for more than entertainment and stimulation.

Much has been written about the exact meaning of ‘God-breathed’.  Some suggest that God touched the various authors of the Bible in such a way that they wrote His words all mixed up with their own, and that some things that were written do not fully express God’s intention, being placed alongside human bias and error.  Others say that every word was inspired, even when some details appear to contradict each other.  Whatever your view, we can all agree that we have a unique book that, somehow or other, communicates God’s will and plan for our lives in immense detail.  We can also agree that the Holy Spirit, the breath of God, was the inspirer, and that He continues to inspire us today through scripture and in other ways.

Whenever you meditate on a piece of scripture, first pray that the Holy Spirit will continue to inspire your thoughts and interpretations of the words in front of you.  And then remember that the job of inspiration belongs to Him, and is not the result of your own efforts!

Try chewing over 2 Timothy 3:16-17, and see what else God may want to say to you through it.  Just because we cannot add drama to this verse does not mean that the results of meditation cannot be dramatic!