If you are a serious devotee of Chinese food as I am, you probably are equally enamored with the meal’s distinctive light dessert – the Chinese fortune cookie. Not only is it pleasing to the palate and easy to make room for (no matter how much of the main meal one may have devoured), it can always be counted on to deliver a positive uplifting word of encouragement.
By some strange coincidence you might have received some of the identical proverbs that have landed on my plate:
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“you are heading in the right direction“
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“your friends consider you wise and virtuous“
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“a great opportunity is right around the corner“
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“you are strong and handsome“
Which of us has ever been shocked by such downers as:
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“you are about to crash and burn“
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“your life is insignificant“
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“your family will soon fall apart“
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“you are having a bad hair day“
Despite the obvious irrelevance of these generic good wishes, there is something inside of us that wants to believe that the “word for the day” actually has some special significance and personal application. Sometimes in the providence of God it seems like there is a bit of a connection to what is going on in my life – that occasions a special chuckle and desire to share the miniscule scrap of paper with friends and family.
What a blessing that our daily devotions in the Word of God actually provide that type of personal link and relevance to our lives that we long for. Yes, we need to be faithful to the context and the interpretation of the passage to its original audience; but Yes, God is speaking directly to us and has a word of application to our own lives.
“and so we have the prophetic word made more sure . . .” (2 Peter 1:19)