Cowardly Lion

When will words on a page become more than just that and actually spur me on to action?
I love to read. I can read for hours on end. I can forfeit sleep and even food when reading at times. Words have such power on a page that they captivate all of me and I am immovable under their power. Of course, not everything I read has this power. School textbooks are a prime example when words failed to hold my attention. But when I find that one book or one article that suddenly consumes me, there is no denying the power of words.
I have recently read two books by Jean Sasson, "Princess" and "Desert Royal", which tell the story a particular woman in Saudi Arabia. It is both intriguing and saddening to read the events of her life. As an American woman, it is hard for me to imagine the true lack of freedom that so many women have in choosing the course of their own lives.
Just as the story of the woman touched a chord within me and cried out for deliverance, my heart is touched even more deeply by the words found in my beloved Bible. How many times will I read something that tugs on my heart and yet remain unchanged?
I want to react with more than a feeling. I want to be changed. Not just on the inside, but outside as well. When God's Word captivates me, I want it to transform me.
I have read...
"For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12)
When is the last time I read the Word and let it pierce me? Sometimes when the truth comes close, and I can feel the sword's tip on my heart I back away because I fear how deeply it will pierce me.
Put simply, I am a coward.
Have you seen the Wizard of Oz? Are you familiar with the cowardly lion? He is all talk but when push comes to shove he wants to run and hide. I have been the cowardly lion. I talk about how I want to be changed and transformed by God but when His push comes I run and hide.
"Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, decieving yourselves" (James 1:22)
Give me courage Lord, to let Your living word pierce me.