Devout Use Of The Bible

This brings us to the third prerequisite for releasing the power of God's Word, namely, devotion or prayerfulness in the use of Scripture. Even when one has hungered for the Word and attained some knowledge of it, apathy in devotion can abort its problem-solving power. Take another look at Jesus' promise in John 15:7; it requires not just that his Word abide in us, but also that we abide in him. This "branches in the vine" engrafting is necessary for the sap of grace to flow and for lifepower to flourish.

Prayerfully abiding in the Lord as we immerse ourselves in his Word will widen the sluiceway of grace for multifarious uses of Scripture. We will see its power in prayer for deliverance and for healing, in private devotional prayer, in receiving the baptism in the Spirit, in exercising the charism Of "holy persuasion," in reinforcing already accepted truth.

The grace received through Scripture will manifest itself with remarkable vigor in preaching, evangelizing, religious instruction of children, liturgy, counseling, private prayer, scriptural meditation, and in coping with countless workaday challenges, from patience-control to bereavement.

The power of Scripture will be clearly manifested in this way, however, only when God's Word is absorbed with a prayerful and incandescent love. Every Scripture scholar has a better-than average familiarity with God's Word, but not every Scripture scholar is for that reason a paragon of holiness. Scholars with devotional attachment to God's Word experience its power far more than those who are fascinated with it merely academically. People who plod through the Bible more dutifully than fervently are often disappointed that it does not empower them to solve their problems, or even to cope with them. The reason, as Paul explains in 2 Corinthians 4:3, is a failure of faith in some of these readers or hearers of the Word; their minds are "veiled." Yet "whenever anyone turns to the Lord,” Paul also explains, "the veil is taken away" (2 Cor 3:16). To be empowered with the Word, we need a sincere, devout encounter with the Lord that leads to a new mind-set and God-permeated holiness (see Ephesians 4:23-24).

Scripture gives many examples of the results of such transformations. The grace-filled encounter with Jesus by the disciples on the Emmaus road empowered them in such a way that his words left their "hearts burning within them" (Lk 24:32). Acts 4:33 shows the apostles proclaiming the gospel message "with great power' because they had received that divine by which humans participate in God's own power: "grace was upon them." The lay evangelists from Cyprus and Cyrene converted vast crowds of people by the Word "because the Lord's hand was with them" (Acts 11:21). As Paul later said of his own work, this was "a demonstration of the Spirit's power” (l Cor 2:4); these evangelists planted the seed but knew that "God made it grow" by his power (3:6).

Paul repeatedly acknowledged that the "all-surpassing power" released in his own ministry was from God (2 Cor 4:7) and he even expressed amazement at it (see Romans 15:17-19). He recognized that his power to "do everything" came "through him who gives me strength" (Phil 4:13), and that he could receive it only because he was a branch engrafted on the vine.

Paul's prayer was that this power be replicated in all Christians:

"I pray that... the Father may strengthen you with power,... that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.... that you... may have power... with all the saints... that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God… who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us" (Eph 3:16-20).

And so, whether we receive the message or transmit it, that third empowering factor—a loving, close relationship with the Lord in his Word—is crucial, for it carries a supernal dynamism.

Combined with the other two requirements—hunger for the Word, and familiarity with it—it will ignite our hearts, like those of the disciples at Emmaus. And with our hearts "burning within us," we can set countless other hearts aflame in a conflagration of love.

This excerpt is from the book The Art of Loving God by John H. Hampsch, C.M.F., originally published by Servant Publications, 1995. This and other of Fr. Hampsch's books and audio/visual materials can be purchased from Claretian Teaching Ministry, 20610 Manhattan Pl, #120, Torrance, CA 90501-1863. Phone 1-310-782-6408.