Truth according to the book The Neverending Story

1. For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intents of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

Some people retreat into the world of books to escape the ordinary and sometimes depressing world they live in. Bastian Balthazar Bux takes refuge in a used bookstore to evade three thugs who want to throw him into a dumpster. Inside, he meets the mysterious owner, Mr. Koreander. He is reading a thick book with a strange symbol on the cover called “The Neverending Story.” Bookworm Bastian’s gaze is drawn to this new piece of literature like a hungry bear is drawn to a camper in a tent. When asked if he can absorb the words of this new story, the owner refuses.

The reason for the rejection is that the book is not safe to read. In ordinary books, you become the character you are reading about, Tarzan, Captain Nemo, Peter Pan, but when the book is over, you can return to the real world and live your normal life. Not so with The Neverending Story. Despite the warning to keep the cover closed, Bastian borrows the book and literally immerses himself in its pages.

The core of the story revolves around the magical land of Fantasia, which is plagued by a terrible force called the Nothing. The Nothing sweeps through the land, wiping out everything it touches. Besides the Nothing, the illness of the ruler of Fantasia, the Childlike Empress, is also of importance. A young warrior named Atreyu is sent on a mission to find a cure for the Childlike Empress and possibly a way to defeat the Nothing.

As Bastian continues reading, he slowly realizes that the characters in the book are aware of his presence. They hear him when he screams in fear. When the hero Atreyu looks into the magic mirror gate, he sees Bastian reading the book in which he is a character. What freaks him out the most is when the Childlike Empress tells Atreyu, “He hears every word we say.” By reading the book, Bastian has become an integral part of The Neverending Story.

It’s just a STORY. It’s not REAL!-Bastian

If The Neverending Story is a dangerous book, then the Bible is certainly a very deadly book. The Bible contains living words that cling to the human soul like a leech. It sucks out all the blood stained with sin and leaves its life-giving spirit in its place. It sucks out the nothingness in our soul and leaves someone to fill it with his all-encompassing presence.

Just as the characters in The Neverending Story are aware of their reader, so too is the main character of the Bible, the Lord Jesus, aware of his reader. When our spiritual hearing aid is functioning properly, when we read the Scriptures we can hear God’s Word speaking to us personally. He does not speak to us in a vague, general way, as normal human authors speak to people in books, but He speaks to us concretely in the moment we read it. The Holy Spirit, who permeates the pages of the Scriptures, interacts with the reader and makes God’s story a permanent part of his inner being.

Unlike the characters in The Neverending Story, we are not always aware of who is reading our lives or that we ourselves are part of a story. Our lives are an open book for God, who is also the author of the book. God is an active reader who becomes part of our stories and invites us to participate actively with him. God wants us to surrender ourselves completely to him in freedom so that our story is never-ending.

The words of Scripture speak directly to man, giving the reader words of encouragement, challenge, and personal instruction. When you allow the Word of God to enter your bloodstream, you cannot go back and live the life you once lived, because God’s story has taken root in your soul. If you do not want God to enter your life, do not pick up His Word. It is dangerous and not a safe book.