An open mind. Depending on the culture around you, or how you were raised that can be a good thing or a bad thing. I'm not going to offer my two cents on the phrase. I don't believe in stirring up strife. But I will say, I didn't always think of being called open-minded as a compliment.
The older I get the more I experience the reality of God's work in my life. "For the wisdom of the world is folly with God." 1 Corinthians 3:19
So, how fitting it is that the Lord impressed on my heart to pray for an open mind for myself, my husband and our boys.
Every time I read through Luke 24, I am overwhelmed with awe. Can you even imagine walking along the road, only to have Jesus, the Son of God, walk along side you and explain the Scriptures personally to you? I can not. It seems to unfathomable. Yet because of the cross and by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit...we can readily call to Him, and He will answer us and teach us great and unsearchable things that we do not know (Jer. 33:3). We can come before His word and ASK Him to speak to us. We can expect that He will.
So, as I was reading through Luke this morning, I stopped and confessed to the Lord that I do not passionately pray enough for an open mind. I want Him to open my mind to His word. I want my boys to have open minds and hearts to His word. I (we) can pray His word back to Him....I honestly believe it is so powerful to pray Scripture back to our Heavenly Father. This morning, during our Bible study I was sharing this verse with the boys:
"Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures" Luke 24:45
My sweet six year old, who at four, asked Christ to save his soul, looked at me and said, "Mommy...do you think God actually opens our minds? Or really He probably just hides His word in us? If He actually opened our brains it might hurt."
I love how the Lord uses my children. Constantly and in more ways than I deserve...and silly me thought that just actually having them was the blessing....I think it goes far beyond their physical presence in our families.
I looked in the original Greek to get a better grasp on an "open mind" I found two definitions that truly blessed my soul. In this verse, when Luke tells us that Christ opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, it can mean: "to open one's soul or to rouse in one the faculty of understanding or the desire of learning."
The desire to study, to learn, to memorize God's word...is a stirring deep within our soul from our Creator. It is God Himself meeting a need that He created within us. So when or if you look around at others and get discouraged and think that they must be "super spiritual" because they are in God's word constantly...or they pray constantly. They aren't. They are no better than you. Rather, they are simply relying on God for the passion and desire for His word. They are relying and trusting God to open their minds to His word.
Over the years the Lord has richly blessed me as I've prayed His word back to Him. Specifically, when I pray over studying His word, I often cry out these verses (I hope it blesses you today):
"Call to Me and I will answer you and teach you great and unsearchable things you do not know." Jeremiah 33:3
"Show me your ways LORD, teach me Your paths." Psalm 25:4
"Keep me from deceitful ways, be gracious to me and teach me your ways." Psalm 119:29
This morning I discovered this one:
"Now therefore, if I have found favor in your sight, please show me now your ways, that I may know you in order to find favor in your sight. Consider too that this nation is your people.” Ex. 33:13
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