Periodically, when my grandmother was baking a cake or a pie, I got to help her with the enjoyable but tedious task of cracking nuts.

Each nut required a different amount of hammer force to crack or break the shell without ruining its contents. Nuts would come out in wholes, halves, or morsels that needed to be picked from the shell. Every bit was important. It wasn't always easy work. She would give encouragement saying, "Stick with it. You can do this." After a challenging job, she would say, "That was a tough nut to crack." How blessed we are to have helpers in our families, and additionally, to have a spiritual helper from God after we accept Christ as our Saviour.

Proverbs 8:17 – I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently will find me. (NKJV)

God has given us the Holy Spirit to discern God's Word, because it is impossible to understand the things of God without Him. We also have preachers, teachers, classes, fellowship times, writers of theology, and even devotional writers to help us. The Holy Spirit is always present to uplift and instruct us. Remember to pray to make sense of the Scriptures.

We investigate God's Word for understanding of the who, what, why, where, and when of biblical history, prophecy, and God's love for us. In that quest for discernment of His Word, the Holy Spirit empowers our comprehension. As we have learned, some of God's Word is easier to understand, and some is more difficult to figure out. We may not be sure that we have perceived the passage correctly. "What a tough nut to crack," we might say, but then again, we might hear a prompting, "Stick with it. Be diligent and you will find Me."

Have you ever had trouble getting the whole picture of a concept, or morsels, tidbits, and tasty meats of Scripture organized and placed together on a tray to analyze them? When you crack open a section, piece it together carefully, line upon line, and precept upon precept. We can study it and then think on it and pray for clarity. Many times, letting the ideas rest a while allows time for the tidbits to come together. We can pray for God to keep our focus and bless our perception of the Scripture. Through the Holy Spirit, we will crack each nut of God's wisdom so that we can know, apply, and share it with others.

Prayer: Dear Lord, we thank You for the Holy Spirit's guidance, and for those whom You have placed beside us as helpers. Enable us to maintain our focus so that we can be diligent in our search for You, and have faith in Christ that we will find You. Amen.

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About the author:

Karen Milam <karenbmilam@gmail.com>
Penn Valley, California, USA
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