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| Wednesday, April 5, 2006
Words Writer : Annabelle BokAs literary types we know the importance of words so well; so well that Sunday sermons explaining the difference between logos and rhema are the ones that have us smiling smugly and nodding sagely, as if to say, "yeah, that's it, tell all of them the difference -- finally." We pride ourselves on being craftsmen, artisans of language, and tell ourselves (and imply to others) that with our skills we can say anything, express anything, explain anything, interpret anything, evoke anything. Whether we admit to this or not is not the issue: it is fact. The very fact that we dare to write, dare to publish, dare to sell, proves that whether consciously or subconsciously, we believe it. Writers must think they are somewhat like God. After all, He spoke the world into existence, called forth life from the dead, prophesied victories into would-be failures, and we are not only made in His image, but called to be sons and daughters of the Most High. Yet words are, after all, only signifiers. There is only so far that language can go, only so much that words can say. We have heard that 99% of communication is nonverbal. We take time trying to make sure that we make a good first impression so that our words will carry weight, and then take more time trying to uphold our credibility. Hypocrisy is an everyday thing in this world that we live in; people say one thing and mean another, whether in spoken or written forms. And still we go on believing in the power of words. Any girl who has ever felt the emotional desolation of never hearing the words she needs from her lover's lips will tell you just how needful words are. We can't live without them. Somehow, we want to hear certain words, read certain phrases, whether or not there's proof that the speaker of writer truly meant it. And how many of us have really taken to heart the cliched phrase, "The Bible is God's love letter to mankind"? For some reason, we who pounce on repetitions in literary texts and plant the red flag of Meaningful Emphasis completely fail to apply this small wisdom to things said in and about the Holy Writ. Wherefore this lapse? If we truly see Scripture as God-breathed, then we as poets and writers ought to spend far more time perusing its pages than we are wont to. And we will find that we can truly take Him at His Word -- in all things, for all things, concerning all things. Tonight I found that God really did put everything needful into His book. The lover's promises that I so craved were all there. Like a lily among thorns, so is My love among the daughters. Behold, you are fair, My love, you are fair! You have ravished My heart. How much better than wine is your love! You are all fair, My love, and there is no spot in you. I have loved you with an everlasting love. You are precious in My sight. How can I give you up, beloved? My heart churns within Me. Fear not. I will quiet you with My love, and rejoice over you with singing. I will never leave or forsake you.
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