Repetitious Transformation

Big Sky

Have you ever experienced a Montana night sky? One of my favorite things about living here is the big sky. I never understood what others meant by ‘big sky country’ until I witnessed it for myself. The sky seems much bigger here.

One evening with some friends, we went up one of the roughest mountain roads to get to my favorite place, Fairy Lake. At our campsite, sitting around the dwindling fire, the intensity of the night sky took my breath away. There is just something awe-inspiring about the dark night filled with shimmering stars and the flow of the milky way. I can stare into its vastness, and the magnitude of God overwhelms me. Any time I walk outside in the dark, my first instinct is to look up.

Look Upward

The twenty-first letter of the Hebrew alphabet does the same thing. Much like the Yod י (read more here), the Shin ש reminds us to look up. The Shin ש has three branch-like features that point up. Scholars say it looks like fire and a crown. The three points draw your eyes upward.

The shin ש teaches that repetition leads to change. When we continuously look to God, we transform. This repetition draws us closer to Him, igniting something within us. Our hearts become ablaze and this light inside us begins to shine in the darkness.

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Romans 12:2 NLT

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2 NLT Share on X

Repetition

So how do we do this? What things can we do in repetition to bring about change? We see beautiful examples throughout the Bible. David repeatedly wrote psalms of adoration, sharing the power of God, and praising His holy name. The prophets did this as they daily came before God in prayer to receive messages to share with God’s people. Mary (as in Mary and Martha) did this as she sat at the feet of Jesus to hang on to His every word. Mary Magdalene did this as she poured her jar of alabaster over Jesus’ feet to anoint Him.

Read The Word

We can daily read the Word. Spending time in the Word, either by reading it, writing scriptures, or meditating on it, transforms our mind and hearts. Each time we read scripture, we inscribe it on our hearts and can recall it when we need His word during hard times. Deuteronomy 11:8 tells us, “Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads” (NLT).

“Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads” Deuteronomy 11:8 (NLT). Share on X

Pray Continually

1 Thessalonians 5:17 tells us to pray continually (NLT). In prayer, we can lay our burdens before Him and share our joys and sorrows. The more time we spend in prayer, the more glimpses we get of who He is. In these times of prayer, we must also listen for His still, small voice. The more time we spend with Him, the more we change to be in His likeness. We can still sit at His feet like Mary. When we rest in His presence and listen for Him to speak, we are doing exactly what she did. We too can pour our alabaster jars at His feet when we sing songs of worship to Him, or praise Him for what He is doing in our lives.

“And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”

2 Corinthians 2:18 NLT

“And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” 2 Corinthians 2:18 NLT Share on X

The more time we spend building relationship with Him, the bigger the fire will burn within us. Have you ever had those moments at church, or a retreat, or worship service where you felt intensely close to God? The more time we invest with Him, the more that intensity will grow. We can have these powerful moments when it is just Him and us.

This burning turns into a light that will shine through us even in the darkest of places. We become a vessel moldable and ready to do whatever He leads us to do. I love what Sarah Philpott says in her book, “The Growing Season.” She says, “Christ says that it’s absurd for us to have His light within us and keep it hidden. We were designed to illuminate the world with the light of Christ.” So go out into the world and let your light shine.

"Christ says that it's absurd for us to have His light within us and keep it hidden. We were designed to illuminate the world with the light of Christ." ~Sarah Philpott https://amzn.to/3BaPEne #affiliatelink Share on X

The Trinity

Look again into the three extensions of the Shin ש pointing upward. They represent the Trinity. The bottom of the letter is united. The letter teaches us that the Trinity has three separate parts, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Even though they are three distinctly different persons, they are One.

I love how God uses these beautiful letters of the Old Testament to point us to Him. He portrayed Himself in the text, and as we go deeper into His Word, He unveils more about Himself. I hope through these letters you too will find yourself more fascinated with Him.

Writing The Word

One way to create repetition with scripture is through writing the word. I love these journals. They are a great way to write the Word, meditate on the scripture, and then to journal what the Lord reveals to you.

Write the Word Collection

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