Scripture Works

I'm not sure how to share this story without giving all the details (sorry, I'm not quite ready for you to know everything :) ) but I'll try.
Over the last two and a half days four specific scriptures have come to mind at rather odd times. The first was a command, so I started following through. The second was the context and attitude that I was supposed to have in the midst of the time. The third scripture was a word to stop and the last was an answer to why I should stop after two days.
It was all a little bit strange because two out of the four scriptures were ones that I would only have come up with if I did a word search. I knew the stories but they were not ones that would have readily come to mind. In fact I went back and looked up the scriptures just to make sure I was not fooling myself. Much to my amazement (a sign of my lack of faith I'm sure) the scriptures read just like they came to mind. The outcome of it all was a huge reminder that God is in control.
So why do I share this story? Partly for myself as a reminder of the power of scripture and my need to stay grounded in the midst of it. But also for anyone reading so that I might simply share a word of encouragement to read the Bible. If you have ever wondered if God still speaks to people I know the answer is yes. When people talk about the Bible being a living word this is what I think it means. That the Bible comes to life in the midst of our lives today just as it did for those who heard it the first time. When these scriptures came to my mind there was no mistaking how they fit into my life at that very moment. It was a simple decision, was I going to obey and do what the scriptures said or was I going to pass it off as just a random thought. I tested the scriptures against other things that I know about Jesus and what it means to be a faithful follower and there were no contradictions. There were no chances that my following through with these things was going to impact anyone but myself so I did what God directed. The result is a major change in my outlook on life this morning. I'm sure God is in control and that life will continue to unfold in ways that will bring God glory and will be for the benefit of God's people (that is everyone, not just some select few).
So the long and short of this rather odd post is a word of encouragement. Read your Bibles. The chances of you remembering something that you have never read are rather slim. So read larges chunks of the Bible, not just select passages. You never know when God might speak into your life through the oddest stories at times that you never would have anticipated.