by David Scott Robertson
“That’ll be $3.56, please, sir,” the Wal-Mart checkout clerk said.
Immediately my mind quotes:
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge him,
And he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6).
The license plate on the car ahead of me reads – QRM 356.
Instantly my mind quotes:
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge him,
And he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6).
I happen to glance down at my digital watch – it reads- 3:56PM.
Without fail and almost without thinking,
My mind immediately quotes:
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge him,
And he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6).
I cannot tell you how many different times
And and the multitude of different ways,
That these three numbers: 3-5-6,
In that exact order,
Have suddenly been brought to my attention by the Holy Spirit.
Has the Lord ever “personalized” a Bible verse for you?
That is to say,
Has He made a verse or passage of scripture
Become so extra special,
So meaningful,
So near and dear to your heart
That perhaps you think of it as one of your “life verses?”
You start collecting bookmarks, pictures and plaques,
Anything that you can get your hands on
That has the verse inscribed on it.
You write it on a sticky note and post it on your bathroom mirror.
You make it your computer screen saver marquis.
You write it on a 3x5 card and carry it in your pocket or purse
And basically do all sorts of innovative and weird things
To keep the Life Verse in front of your face
In order to engrave it on the tablet of your heart.
This is precisely what happened to me with Proverbs 3:5-6.
I like to paraphrase this verse and pray it back to the Lord like this:
“I trust You, Lord,
With all my heart,
And today I resist the temptation to try and figure everything out.
In all my ways, Father,
I acknowledge You,
Trusting You to direct my paths.”
Remember, you always pray God’s will when you pray God’s word.
Got a similar verse in mind?
Ask the Lord to open your eyes
To begin to see with renewed vision
All the many, many reminders
Of your Life Verse
That surrounds you daily.
By the way,
The next time you see 316
Remember…
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
DSR
1/26/01