Pithy with a PUNCH

10/4/10 How does one write the fewest words that say the most and have the greatest impact on the largest group of readers? Obviously, I, the wordy one, am not the one to answer that question.

Sarah Young has that ability. In her devotional book, Jesus Calling, her entries are concise and still true to scripture, with references included.
She writes about universal struggles---fear, pain, trust, etc. She also emphasizes gratitude and expressions of thankfulness to the Lord, regardless of the circumstances. Sarah writes from personal experience---straight from her Spirit-filled heart. Subsequently her entries encourage the reader to wait quietly in God’s presence that he/she might know Him, not just about Him. She does it with just a few choice words.

Oh, how those words speak differently to each reader. Same words. Different reception---depending on each reader’s own personal radar.

Ponder this passage from Psalm 119.

9 How can a young man keep his way pure?
By living according to your word.
10 I seek you with all my heart; 

do not let me stray from your commands.
11 I have hidden your word in my heart 

that I might not sin against you.
12 Praise be to you, O LORD; 

teach me your decrees.
13 With my lips I recount 

all the laws that come from your mouth.
14 I rejoice in following your statutes 

as one rejoices in great riches.
15 I meditate on your precepts 

and consider your ways.
16 I delight in your decrees; 

I will not neglect your word.

Assignment: Do a pithy rewrite of this scripture. (No more than 10-15 words.) Give it a punch so that you can remember the impressions the Lord gave to you as you meditated on it.

BTW, to all of you who have been on the same page with me, reading Jesus Calling daily throughout my cancer struggle, I would like you to join me in praying for Sarah as she struggles daily with vertigo and the aftermath of Lyme Disease. If you are led to pray certain scriptures for her or have been encouraged by Jesus Calling, let me know and I will pass it on to her. We need to let her know what a powerful punch her pithy prose has had on our lives----so much so that we’ve given that “little” book to family, friends worldwide, doctors and nurses whom we don’t even know, as well as leaving them in airports and hotel rooms as a way to bless the heart of a total stranger.