Journey of the Word

Have you met Micah? Rather obscure character and rarely noticed. No last name. Seven chapters long. I’ve not much more than met the guy.

See, Micah is not my friend. But I wish he were. And one day, I hope he will be.

Oh, I’ve spent a good deal of time with Paul. And Mark. Peter. Even Ruth, and Isaiah.

When I met Isaiah, I realized what I had been missing in these unsung heroes mistakenly identified as boring or intimidating. You have to spend time with a person to get to know them and to discover their full potential. For some reason, I neglected Isaiah much of my life.

On the other hand, I find myself talking about Mark like he’s my next-door neighbor. My big brother. A friend in one of my closest circles.

I know how he thinks, and I can tell you what’s most important to him. I’ve studied his perspective, and I can recognize him a mile away. Because I spent two years hanging out with him.

Paul? And Moses? They’re the easy ones to love. Their books hit the bestseller list, and people talk about them all the time. They’re popular and easier to understand than some, perhaps. So naturally, we’re drawn to these sort of people. They automatically reach “friend status.”

Meanwhile, in the background are those nobody saints like Joel, Amos, and Obadiah, and all the other little guys we slur together at the end. Even little Jude gets overlooked!

And what treasures we miss!

So my encouragement today is – make friends with Micah. Spend some time with those unknown characters – the books of the Bible that no one speaks of, preaches about, memorizes, or skims over for more than a day’s checklist reading.

For these authors, too, were filled with the Spirit and gave us the Word. Friend potential, if you ask me.

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