A friend of mine was trying to tell me how to pray for my wife. “Tell her Satan has no claim on her life,” he emphasized. “Go home, stand on the Word of God, and pray for her healing.” Seeing my raised eyebrows, he explained: “Take a Bible, put it on the floor. Stand on that Bible, and pray. You’ll be letting God know you are standing on his Word.”
I heard a voice saying, “Okay, I’ll do it,” while at the same time, another voice was mocking, “What did you say? You’ll do what? Have you lost your mind?”
The Bible contains numerous references to standing firm in the faith. There are also many texts about the power of God’s Word. In addition, you can find passages about people standing during public Scripture readings. Then there are passages about trusting God’s Word; metaphorically, you could say they are standing on God’s Word. But there is no admonition to stand physically on a copy of the Scriptures.
Driving home after that conversation, I teased my wife. “Find a large Bible we both can stand on.”
“Whaaaat?” she asked.
Taking Bible passages literally can be dangerous. When wooden, literal interpretations are coupled with a disregard for the biblical context, the result can be lethal, from handling snakes to declaring holy war.
Taking the Bible seriously doesn’t mean we take everything in the Bible literally. When Jesus, for instance, said, “I am the door” (John 10:7), we aren’t to understand that he was made of wood. And when he said he was the Vine and we the branches, he didn’t mean he was a grapevine, and we are to sprout literal leaves. Marcus Borg has said that taking the Bible literally “has consequences that minimally are unfortunate and unnecessary and more seriously obscure and distort what the Bible and being Christian are about.”
While that’s certainly true, sometimes people need a visible picture, an enactment demonstrating their devotion. It can help some believers visualize the reality of their walk with Christ. I suppose that’s one reason we enjoy manger scenes at Christmas and pageants at Easter. A visual expression of belief can strengthen the inner “eye” of faith.
My friend, who wanted me to stand on God’s Word, has a genuine heart of compassion. He is concerned about my wife and me. He is not trying to take an obscure passage out of context, then “name and claim it.” He wants to stand by us as we walk the road ahead.
So, maybe that’s why I heard my voice telling him, “I’ll do it.”
And we did. Maybe not literally. The power of faith is not grounded in blind obedience to literal demands. Whether the Bible was on the floor or simply in our hearts makes no difference. One thing is for sure: when I got home, Lori and I held hands and prayed together, trusting that as we step forward, we will never cease standing on God’s Word.