Words to guide us by Chris Lynch of Green Pastures Christian Writers

I have been making my way through Psalm 119, the longest Psalm in the Bible and was interested in the heading of the section I was reading: ‘Mem’. Research revealed that the Hebrew origins of this word are ‘sea, chaos, and unknown’. (Apparently, the sea was viewed as an unknown quantity to be feared.) I love the way this leads into His commandments being my constant guide. It makes me think about a map, how on a journey to an unknown place we need to know which direction to take.

These days we have sat nav systems or apps on our phones – with a voice of our choosing – telling us where to go. But I’m a bit old-fashioned and not fully confident with technology, so I like to print out a route-finder. Sometimes, on a walk with a friend, we follow a guide that tells us to ‘turn up the track next to the big oak tree’, or ‘climb the stile and walk up the hill’.  There’s something comforting and reassuring in being able to read the directions – and re-read it if I think I have gone the wrong way! 

I think this can be reflected in our own writing as well, whether that’s journalling or the beginning of a new potential story. Writing it down physically can help us to see it more clearly. The ideas may be in our head but writing them down can help us clarify them and sometimes see the story from a different perspective.

I love the Psalms. Psalm 119:105 tells us that His word is ‘a lamp to my feet and a light to my path’. Being able to read written words that encourage and lead us, that show us how to live in God’s ways, is so amazing when they are centuries old and yet still so relevant to us today.  Technology has so many good uses but I much prefer words on a page to read and ponder, pages to turn, and inspire me to write my own words, letting the words seep into my soul and place me in experiences and storylines in my imagination. As we read the stories in the Bible, with the people’s lessons learned from the ups and downs of a life that was much harder than anything we know, I am inspired to write. Who knows, maybe the thoughts I have can also inspire and help others in their daily walk in time to come?

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