THE EDITOR

by Tammy Phillips
August 1, 2021

I love the Lord.  He takes me on some crazy train rides and treasures hunts through His word.  I was attempting to figure out who Asa was in the Old Testament, but instead I found the following verse. It captured my attention.

” And the rest of the acts of Abijah, and his ways, and his sayings, are written in the story of the prophet Iddo.” (2 Chronicles 13:22 KJV) 

Abijah was faithful and important enough to be mentioned in the Bible along with Iddo, the prophet.  He was like Solomon, whose WHOLE story also did not make the Bible, but was recorded in the book of Nathan, in the prophecy of Abijah and in the vision of Iddo. (1 Chronicles 9:29) Honestly, in my ignorance, I never thought about the Lord using other prophets, other than the major and minor prophets in the Bible.  I thought they were it.  Clearly, Iddo was a prophet, as he was mentioned several times in that role.

Where did this lead me?  Humorous Holy Spirit use the obscure search and verse of 2 Chronicles 13:22 to show me that He performed perfecting edits even in making the Bible.   As Author and Editor, He allowed, Abidah and Iddo to make the cut with a few mentions in the Bible.  However, the rest of the story of Abijah can be found in the writings of Iddo, but not in the Bible.

The acts of Rehoboam were written in the book of Shemaiah.  (2 Chron 12:15) Shemaiah is called a man of God who the word of God came to, but He did not get his publication in the Bible, either.  Scripture mentions others who wrote books like Jehu and Nathan, but their records are not found in the Old Testament. Their works were important because the word of God mentions them.  God used these men, but when He made the final edit of the Bible, their books were excluded.

Interesting fact, although there is not a book in the Bible called Iddo, his grandson, Zechariah, made the cut. 

God is the Author and Editor of our lives, too.  “Your eyes saw me when I was formless; all my days were written in your book and planned before a single one of them began.” (Psalm 139:16 CSB) He wrote our perfect stories with a perfect beginning, middle and end.  Along came choice and redirects our stories, accordingly.  The Lord when invited, then enters our wrong choices and difficulties. He works with Holy Ghost ink and edits our stories.  Instead of heart breaking, He writes healing on our heart.  Instead of discouraged, He writes be strong and courageous.  He hits the delete key, erasing sadness and despair.  He quickly types hope and joy.  Our names might night be seen in the printed Bible, but they are written in His book. He writes and edits our story, masterfully.

Edits are mistakes that need correcting or deleting in order to make the piece ready for public presentation. 

Edits are cutting and rearranging of pieces of the whole to bring it to perfection.  I know as a writer that I create a lot of mistakes, every day, in my blog. I have an editor that reads my story and makes the necessary perfecting changes.  I wish that she could do it before I publicly post but, time often does not allow.  (It is not like my current editor is a paid position.  She does if for free, as she is my Mom.)  

An editor also alters, adapts, or refines, a work, especially, to bring about conformity to a standard or to suit a particular purpose.

The Lord does all these things in our lives.  He deletes the dross in our lives to prepare us for his calling, to make us complete and to perfect us, His bride.  He refines us and aligns us to reflect His image.  He edits the choices we have made that were not aligned with His purpose to love us back to Him and the path of His perfect plan. 

I encourage you to trust the Author and Editor of your life.  He has written your perfect story.  He is writing and perfecting your chronicles.  He will continue write your masterpiece.  Allow Him to make the necessary edits in your life to align you with the great story that He already has written for you.