Day Twelve: Watchwords

Have you ever been reading the Bible, when suddenly, a verse seems to leap off the page and into your heart? It’s as though God is sending you a personal word of encouragement to help you right where you are.  I like to call this my “watchword.”  God’s Word can actually ignite our faith.  Paul tells us in  Romans 10:17 that faith comes from hearing the Word of God.  And if faith is the antidote to fear, it makes sense to strengthen ourselves daily with God’s Word.

I’m hoping the 21 Day Watch builds my faith.  That’s why I am on the lookout for ways to become more alert to God’s work all around me. “Watchwords” from the Bible remind me of God’s strength and power.  It doesn’t happen the same way every morning.  Some days God gives a more dramatic watchword than others.   But I never walk away empty from my time reading God’s Word.

During my years of struggling with infertility, I would often find a personal watchword of encouragement that would give me hope.  Verses from my Bible study would inspire my faith, just when I was losing hope that we would ever have a baby.   I remember one watchword which gave me an anchor for my soul:  He settles the barren woman in her home, the happy mother of children (Psalm 113:9).  I sensed God encouraging me through that verse to stand firm in my belief that He would eventually give us children, which He did. 

If you long to see signs of God at work in your life, I’d suggest you start by seeking His message to you from the pages of Scripture.  The way I see it, God spent over 1600 pages (in my Bible) telling me of His will, His plans, His instructions, and His love for me. That’s why I go to His Word first thing each morning. I take the problems and needs that are heaviest on my heart and I ask God to speak through His Word. I also take my hopes and dreams, and my concern for people and places, and ask God for wisdom from His Word about how to pray.

Let’s ask God to open our eyes to His WORD.  Before I read the Bible, I ask Him to reveal promises that relate to my concerns.  My simple prayer is from Psalm 119:18: Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.

Dare to go to God’s Word with an honest and thirsty heart.  Ask the Lord to speak to you through the pages of Scripture.  I believe the Holy Spirit will inspire you with a special watchword which will strengthen your faith today, and give you hope.