I reconnected with an old friend the other day - and it set me to thinking.

When her last daughter was born, they called with great excitement to tell me the name. I was overjoyed that her little one had arrived safely, and got used to the new name in my mind. But I was wrong.

When the birth announcement came, I discovered that they had, indeed, done me the honor of naming her middle name after me! I spell it differently than the norm, the difference being a single letter - and when they told me they what they had named her, I automatically "saw" her name in writing with the ordinary spelling. When the announcement arrived, I realized the honor I'd been given. It is one that has amazed and blessed me since that day - and the daughter is now in college, seeking to find her own path, her own walk with Jesus, her own way in the world.

What a dufus I can be! It still bothers me that it didn't "click" while I was talking to them that morning! But once a moment is lost...

And today it gave me pause again. I started thinking about how the written word is more solid of a standing, and what a difference one letter can make!

And how awesome it is to know that God took such amazing precautions in creating the Word we rely on.

To be a scribe in the Jewish world was a post of honor. The scribes would practice their craft for years until being scrupulously judged worthy of copying, onto a vellum scroll, any part of the Word.

They would begin by taking a ritual bath. Then they would begin counting the number of consonants in the passage they were to copy. Next they counted the vowels. Next they counted the number of words. Next the spaces between the words. Next the verbs. Next the nouns...and so on until the copy would be able to be reproduced exactly.

On vellum, it is possible to scrape off a calligraphic mistake. But not for a scribe of the Word. One error, no matter how miniscule, and the vellum would be burnt to embers.

Also, only the most accomplished scribe could transcribe the Name of God. He would have to stop, take another ritual bath, change clothes, transcribe the YHWH, representing His Name, often in gold leaf or blood red, take another bath, and change back into "ordinary" clothes to continue.

All work was checked carefully after finishing for errors.

And this Word has come down to us so complete, it has enabled the Bible "Codes", numeric letter sequencing that, according to the mystical rabbis, has every event that will/has ever happened in our world encoded in it. This was deduced hundreds of years ago (they also deduced from the Word that the world has at least 10 dimensions, something recently verified by quantum physics!). They have found astounding things in the Word - and all because it is written, and it was protected by our Father when it was written down for us.

Jesus could answer the evil one with the words "It is written..." and it ended the argument.

The most amazing and astounding thing is, we can do the same! "It is written" is our fortress in the swirl of temptations, in the breaking of strongholds, in the seeking of comfort and strength. It is a solid fortress in our ever changing world.

Immerse yourself in it, day by day, and your strength in Him will be as solid as the Rock it speaks of.