Reading | Daily Devotional

9 Make every effort to come to me soon; […] 13When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments.

2 Timothy 4:9, 13

Don’t you wish we could take a peek at which books made the Apostle Paul’s Isolation Reading List? What filled the pages he requested? Poetry? Scripture? Letters? Philosophy? While we can never know for sure because he doesn’t say, we can perceive that those books meant a lot to him; the parchments were valuable at a time when Paul was feeling very alone. 

Paul’s ask comes in the middle of a long list of people who have abandoned him. Name after name, he lists those who have deserted him, with the exception of Luke. At this point in his life, Paul was old. It was almost winter. Death was looming somewhere in the near future. Yet, he remembered to request his books. 

They must have been dear to him. In a time of great trial and loneliness, Paul’s books and parchments were a comfort to him and he wanted them near. They would serve to fill his mind and direct his thoughts while he waited for his God-ordained future. What kinds of things are you reading during this quarantine? What imagery, thoughts, and truths are you filling your mind with to soothe your soul? Paul urges us to think on things that are true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, of good repute, excellent, and praiseworthy (Phil 4:8). 

If you have been overwhelmed with news stories every morning and evening, it may be time to pick up a good book that reminds you of God’s faithfulness, redemption, and hope. If you have been tempted to use Netflix or other streaming services to escape your anxiety, maybe it’s time to take a break and listen to a story that reorients your mind toward Christ. Author Jim Trelease states, “Story is the vehicle we use to make sense of our lives in a world that often defies logic.” Whose stories are you following? 

One way we can redeem the extra time in quarantine is to find reading material that is edifying. I encourage you to dive into a story that lifts your spirits. Break open a book that challenges you to grow in an area of Christian discipline. Listen to an audiobook about what life is like in another country for a person much different from yourself. Follow God’s story. He is an incredible author. No obstacle can divert his story toward an ending he hasn’t sovereignly written.

Father, you are the author and perfecter of our faith. Forgive me for not guarding what enters my mind. Please redeem my time to wait with purpose, and help me to seek to fill my mind with stories that are honorable, praiseworthy, and lovely. In Jesus’ name, amen.