But there is a spirit in man, and the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding. Job 32:8
Soon after Debbie and I married, we went camping. As a certified scuba diver, I decided I would teach her to scuba dive. I thought a few minutes of instruction would be fine, and gave her a short lesson. As we were going down underwater and getting deeper, she decided she didn’t like it and headed for the surface.
For some reason, she took off her mask, kicked off her fins and spit out her regulator. She immediately began sinking. I started pushing her up and trying to put the regulator in her mouth, but she panicked and thought I was trying to pull her back down. So she began kicking and hitting me. Finally, when she realized I was trying to help her, she quit struggling against me. It was our first fight as a married couple, and she has never been scuba diving again.
What happened in that situation? Stress came into her life, she panicked when she couldn’t breathe, became fearful and didn’t understand what was happening. That happens to a lot of believers who don’t read the Word of God.
Job 32:8 says that the breath of the Almighty gives understanding. How many times do we say things like, “If I could just understand what I’m going through” or “I don’t know what God is trying to teach me right now, but I know He’s trying to teach me something.” In other words, we don’t understand. The Word of God is the only way we can understand what’s happening in our lives.
As Christians, sometimes we turn to the Word for understanding but feel overwhelmed or confused. When the disciples couldn’t grasp Jesus’ resurrection, He reminded them that the Word had been fulfilled and “He opened their understanding that they might comprehend the Scriptures” (Luke 24:45). Not only does God want to give us a word, He also wants to give us an understanding of it. That’s good news because the more you read, the more you’ll understand what’s going on in your circumstances.
Reading God’s Word is like reading the owner’s manual from the manufacturer. Let me tell you this: God made your children, your spouse, your parents and your boss. Reading the Bible is the only way we’re ever going to understand ourselves, other people and our situations. God wants to give us wisdom and understanding, and the place to find it is in His Word.
Do you need God to shed light on a certain situation in your life? Take some time today and ask Him to guide you as you read His Word.
PRAYER
Lord, thank You for Your breath in my life. Please give me more understanding as I read Your Word, so when stress comes in I can trust in You in every situation in my life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
FOR FURTHER STUDY
Job 12:13; Psalm 119:34; Luke 24:45; James 1:5
Taken from It Is Written, a Gateway devotion.
