Is your fire alarm working?
Have you ever had a fire alarm go off because the battery was dead? It happened to me in the middle of the night and I really didn't feel like getting up to take care of it.
So I just unscrewed the fire alarm and put it on the table. It wasn't until days later, when I was on vacation, that I remembered that fire alarm and thought with horror, "What if my home starts burning NOW?"
First, no alarm will go off, and second, the insurance company won't pay! You can imagine how nervous that made me feel!
And it should make you just as nervous if you don't keep checking the battery of your faith life. You know those moments when you think, "I should pray again..." or "I haven't read the Bible in a while."
Yes, maybe your Bible is on the table, like my fire alarm is at the moment. Your Bible is there, but it's just as useless as the fire alarm if it's not connected to what it's there for.
What is the Bible actually for?
To sound the alarm when:
...you forget once again who is in control of the whole world: “Ah, Sovereign Lord , you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.” (Jeremiah 32:17 NIV)
...you feel lonely: "God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us." (Acts 17:27 NIV)
...you are desperate for peace: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." (John 14:27 NIV)
The Bible can give you everything you want to take away your despair. friend, I could give you so many more examples because the Bible is full of hope, full of life for you! But you know what is even more valuable than hearing it from me? Experiencing it yourself!
God wants to speak to you, friend! Reconnect with Him and don't leave the fire alarm—the Bible—just lying on the table any longer. You will want to hear the alarm in time when you are once again in despair or even in danger.
This will be a life-changing day!
You are a miracle!
