The Dash Draws Me In

When you sit down with your Bible open, do you sometimes lack direction as to what to read. Old or New Testament? Do I read the passage accompanying a Devotional Study I’m following?

I ask the Lord for direction. This is where the notes and highlighting come in!

Turning the thin pages of my old Bible, I cast my eyes upon notes and highlighting. Years of it. So many years that I have replaced the cover of the old Bible instead of buying new.  I never want to lose those thin pages filled with lessons the good Lord has taught me – saturated with whispers He has spoken – abounding with insight He has given – encompassed with evidence of His ever present mercy and grace. The pages are worn. Some are tear covered. Ink is smeared in spots. Embedded highlighting rises like memories of my mother’s voice. It has become a part of me – this Bible. I never want to be without it. 

So on this warm summer morning, the first reprieve from immense heat in days, I sit here on my porch, from where and when the whispers often come. I’m in the quietness of the country. Today, the birds are not flooding the feeders but sing from a distance. The Mourning Dove makes herself known from somewhere at the edge of the yard. Chipmunks flitter about. I hear them running in and out of the metal eave downspouts. But otherwise, it is quiet. I cherish the stillness and open my Bible. and as always, my eyes are drawn to the notes and highlighting. 

He speaks to me from Psalm 103. I praise Him. My soul praises Him, and I remember His “benefits -“

There it is! The dash!

As a writer, I’ve used it – even overused it in my writing. Simply look above at this article thus far and you’ll probably see it many times! It comes natural to me to use it as a slight break, most often emphasizing what follows. David, the writer of this Psalm, uses it here to emphasize the benefits given us by our Lord. I like to list them:

• • He forgives all my sins.
  • He heals all my diseases.
  • He redeems my life from destruction.
  • He crowns me with love and compassion.
  • He satisfies my desires with good things so that my youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
  • He works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.

It is an effective use of the dash, whether intentionally by David or simply added by the translators. 

That dash emphasizes some of the benefits of knowing our Lord, and with David, I “Praise the Lord, O my soul, all my inmost being.” I “praise His holy name.” I focus on that list – after the dash –  thankful that my relationship with the Father comes with such benefits. 

And then I listen – in this quietness – to the lessons He is teaching me through His Word – to His whispers. I soak up the insight of this Word, allowing His Holy Spirit to encompass me with mercy and grace.

Yes, some times the dash makes all the difference.