06/15/2025
Before I, Arielle, opened the Bible, I was just a girl searching for peace, trying to get by on my own strength. I was constantly trying to navigate life and do the right thing, yet I always felt lost. No doctor, therapist, or friend could cure me of my mental and emotional pain. I was desperate to heal but out of resources. This was when Angela told me we’d start reading the Bible together daily.
We started in the book of John. Beforehand, Angela prayed that we would understand the Scriptures and that the Holy Spirit would reveal what God was showing us.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God,” it began (John 1:1, NIV). I knew it contained stories, but I didn’t understand its significance. Now I realized the Bible is the unfolding revelation of Jesus.
We also read John 8:12: “When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’”
Ang explained, “God is the light of life. And when we read and apply His promises and follow Him, we will be in the light instead of the darkness.”
My eyes were opened to the truth. Though I was still healing, I knew who I was doing it with. I finally had something to stand on and trust: the Word of God.
God’s Word was instilling life in me and was medicine to my spirit. It was teaching me how to be right with Him.
The Bible taught me to walk by faith, and God revealed to me the areas in my life I needed to change, which wasn’t easy. But with God’s help, I faced my weaknesses. This taught me repentance and restored my fellowship with Him. It led me to salvation and taught me how to live a holy life — not a perfect life but one of obedience. When I started applying His commandments, I realized I had found a fulfilling life.
We all want to be healed and live joyfully. And we have access to that! It’s all in His Word. This is the revelation of the almighty God, given to us so we can discover His character and learn how to live every day knowing we have divinely promised security. He wants to teach us what life is all about and how we can spend eternity with Him.
His Word is our very light.
-Angela Hallili and Arielle Reitsma
Have you ever found yourself trying to navigate life in your own strength like Arielle did? What was the result?
