Casandra Martin

Psalm 119:57-64

I passed by the mirror and gasped in surprise. It had been a busy day. I hadn’t really thought much about it, until I saw myself in the mirror and noticed that I needed some “adjustments.” The usual thoughts ran through my head. Who had seen me? How long had I looked like that? How many people do you think noticed? I took a moment, got everything just right, and then set off on the rest of my day.

The eighth stanza of Psalm 119 reminds us of the purpose of investing ourselves in Bible study. The Bible is like a mirror. It reflects God’s glory, His holiness, His wonder, and His power. It reveals His heart, thunders with His presence, and invites us in ever closer. It also gives me a reflection of myself. It shows me as I truly am, stripping away the fantasies and fuss that we like to layer on as we walk through this world. And then it calls for a change of heart.

“When I think on my ways, I turn my feet to your testimonies;” – Psalm 119:59

Sometimes we open the Bible for comfort, guidance, or hope. We will find all of those things in God’s Word. But transformation is at the heart of God’s intent for His Word. He wants His Word to penetrate who we are, burrowing in deep and taking up residence in the very heart of who we are. He wants us to gaze long at His reflection and make a move of repentance, surrender, or obedience – whatever it takes to make our reflection look more like His.

My Jesus Resolution today is to look in the mirror. God’s Word has the power to change my heart. Every page holds up the standard of His goodness, the calamity of my sin, and the grace that empowers the transformation He wants to work in my life. I don’t want to read the Bible casually and miss it. I don’t want to come to its pages with my own agenda in place and walk right past it. I want to open my Bible today anticipating, expecting, excited about the change of heart that God has in store for me.