BIBLE READING | CHRISTIAN LIVING | PERSONAL POST

I must admit, I didn’t start reading the Bible until I was 18 years old in college. I had read snippets here and there growing up and went to Vacation Bible School, but I was really unfamiliar with the Bible. My relationship with God continued to grow as I learned to hear His Voice, but I knew I wanted to understand who He is through His Word, too. 

I’m grateful to be married to Levi for many reasons, but this one is certainly near the top. Although Levi grew up learning scripture and studying the Bible often, he still approached it with curiosity and questions that he would bring to the Holy Spirit to lead him into all truth. I’m so glad this was the person I was around during my time of learning to read the Bible, because although he truly knew a lot of the content, he always had an open heart to what the Holy Spirit may inspire for that day. It truly is the living Word of God. 

Now that I’ve been reading the Bible with that approach for over a decade, I can see how often others feel pressure during their Bible reading time. Pressure to learn something, grow in some tangible way or feel something unique. While I’ve experienced all of these things during times reading the Bible, I’m aware that I cannot create that experience myself – only the Holy Spirit does that. And sometimes, the Holy Spirit lets a question remain in me to see my ability to withstand mystery. 

The pressure to accomplish something only the Holy Spirit can do is a recipe for burnout and avoidance.

There are TWO practices I incorporate in every Bible reading time with God – whether by myself or with Levi. 

PRACTICE # 1

The first one is that I invite the Holy Spirit to read with me. There are times when I forget this step and feel myself trying to “get something” out of what I’m reading rather than asking the One who is in me to help me. He is The Helper. And He’s always available. Once I notice even the slightest sense of something impacting me as I read, I will thank Him for helping me. 

PRACTICE # 2

The second one is something Levi and I somewhat naturally stumbled upon during our reading time together which is that we always ask ourselves the question, “What stands out?” Instead of asking myself what fully formed thought or practical applicable I can glean from a passage, we simply look for what jumps out at us. I would say 85% of the time, I don’t know why it stood out at first. My mind/heart just seemed to notice one part uniquely and I’ll ask the Holy Spirit to show me more. Sometimes I gain more understanding right in that moment, but sometimes it’s not until later. I still thank Him for showing me a “piece of a puzzle” even if I’m not sure what the full picture looks like yet. 

I will admit, sometimes there are chapters of the Bible where nothing really stands out to me. If this is happening, I may pick a Psalm or Proverb or different book of the Bible and read until something does stand out. I don’t leave this time until at least one thing stands out.

Want to grow in your Bible time together? Listen in on mine and Levi’s podcast where we read through the Bible and go through this very process I explained in this post. Click the button below to get the link to Episode 1 of our reading through the book of John. 

Ps – we read through the passage in the episode, so you don’t need to read it beforehand!