Today I discovered a couple of items very unexpectedly. First, I came to the one chapter book of Philemon. I knew it was small and had no real expectation for the content of it. However, as soon as I began to read I remembered that Philemon was a wealthy man who had a slave named Onesimus. Onesimus had fled from his owner and encountered Paul who was in prison in Rome. Onesimus became a Christian and Paul was now in this letter asking Philemon to take Onesimus back and forgive him for fleeing. This is all pretty straight forward.

Paul, in the concluding part of the chapter, asks Philemon to prepare a room for his visit. Even though he is in prison and likely facing death, he was asking for a room when he was set free. Joyce Meyer brings out two things from this which I’ve always missed. First, she points out that in Paul’s waiting for freedom he was waiting with expectation and asking for preparations. She asks the question, “How do we wait?” Do we wait with expectation and hope? I loved this. Secondly, she points out that wait also isn’t a state of being verb. The Amplified Bible adds additional words to “wait” indicating the action of waiting. Joyce points this out showing that amplified means giving additional meaning.

OK, I’ve been reading the Amplified Bible for 4 years now and only today do I awaken to the 2nd item of the morning–why it is called Amplified–it gives additional clarity. I’ve always thought that name for a Bible was odd. No longer will I think that! So, today I will wait with hope, and I will read the Amplified Bible knowing it provides more clarity which it did for me right now!