“Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.”

(Psalm 119:105 NLT)

I stared at the ordinary sewing machine before me; I had never seen it before. A note attached to it said, “Does not work properly.” I looked around the tiny room, and spying a flowered case, I pulled out a fancy Babylock machine. It was so different from my own sewing machine back home, I wasn’t sure how to proceed. Ah, there was the manual.

The volunteer coordinator at the YWAM (Youth With a Mission) base had told me to take some time to familiarize myself with what was in the sewing room. My task would be to make bed skirts out of used sheets, but I had to have a machine that worked! I began perusing the manual, step by step. First things first, I had to thread the machine. When I got to the last part of the threading process, I noticed an unfamiliar metal piece on the side of the needle. This was supposed to make it easier to insert the thread, but to get it to work turned out to be more complicated than putting the top thread directly into the needle’s tiny hole. I did, finally, manage to make it work.

Now for the bottom thread. Filling a bobbin with coordinating thread wasn’t too different to what I was used to. Looking into the manual again, I studied how to insert the bobbin under the stitch plate, and got the bottom thread to come up to join with the top thread under the presser foot. Time to test the stitching with a scrap piece of fabric. Nothing happened! Nothing even moved!

I was sure I had followed the instructions correctly so far. Now what? I found the troubleshooting page in the manual. From a tray of tools, I pulled out a metal object that acted as a screwdriver. The stitch plate unscrewed, I saw the problem. A thick wad of thread lay under the spot where the needle went into the fabric! That was definitely an obstruction! Removing it, I then brushed out the innards of the sewing mechanism to get rid of all the accumulated lint. Once the stitch plate was back in place, the machine worked perfectly. I wouldn’t have been able to solve this problem on my own, but the answers I needed lay in the owner’s manual.

God, our owner, also has a manual – the Bible. Just as I read the Babylock manual and studied the diagrams to find out how to operate that machine, we read God’s Word to find out how to behave in this life of faith. No one showed me how the use the machine. Jesus is not here physically to explain to us how to “do life”, but we have a written account, inspired by the Holy Spirit, illustrating and making clear to us what we need to know.

The Babylock manual showed me all the components of the sewing machine, what they looked like, what they were called, and their function. God illustrates the aspects of His character through His intervention in the lives of people. Certain Hebrew words in the Old Testament portray various aspects of His character, such as “Yaweh Yireh, which means ‘the Lord will provide'” (Genesis 22:14 NLT)

The Babylock manual was practical and logical, showing me what I needed to know, step by step. The Bible has practical sections as well. The Ten Commandments and the book of Proverbs are Old Testament examples. The last few chapters of the book of Romans give useful ways to put our faith into practice. The book of James teaches us Christian behaviour. Here is one instruction: “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.” (James 1:5 NLT) God’s Word give us the answers we need to navigate our way through life.

Thank you, Lord, that You have given us a manual to show us how to live. Thank you that You give us the solution to our problems and roadblocks. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Alice Burnett
Red Deer, Alberta