"O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You
In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water." (Psalm 63:1).
A childhood accident caused poet Elizabeth Barrett to lead a life of semi-invalidism before she
married Robert Browning in 1846. In her youth, Elizabeth had been watched over by her
tyrannical father. When she and Robert were married, their wedding was held in secret because of
her father's disapproval. After the wedding the Brownings sailed for Italy, where they lived for the
rest of their lives. Even though her parents had disowned her, Elizabeth never gave up on the
relationship. Almost weekly she wrote letters to them, but not once did they reply.
After 10 years, she received a large box in the mail. Inside, Elizabeth found all of her letters. Not
one had been opened! Today, those letters are among the most beautiful in classical English
literature. Had her parents only read a few of them, their relationship with Elizabeth might have
been restored. (From The Immortal Lovers, by F. Winwar)
In a very real sense, God's Word is His means of restoring us into fellowship with Him. Nothing has the power to liberate us from destructive behavior and revitalize our relationship with Him like His holy Word.