At dinner the other night we were discussing why people read the Bible. The most popular answer was “to learn more about God” and I think this is probably a common response among many people.
For me I read the Bible daily as a habit and to hear from God. Most days I can’t recall what I specifically read (especially when reading the minor prophets) but I can tell you what biblical theme reflects my life or current moment in life. The Old Testament reminds me that I am no different than God’s chosen people as it relates to being blessed, turning to sin and being redeemed…only to have the cycle repeat…all the time. The New Testament reminds me that I live in a broken world with broken people and Jesus’s life reflects how I should interact with the world around me if I want purpose, peace and to see what God is doing.
I don’t believe the Bible is a history book or a science textbook. I believe it is a love story about God who created the universe, created me and sent His son to pay the price I could never pay because He loves me. I don’t believe God could not have created me and that I am a direct result of His love (could an artist not paint a picture or a musician not write a song?). In reading the Bible each day I believe God uses that time and those scriptures to prompt me. Sometimes the prompts are about things I find confusing and I seek out answers through commentaries or cross-references. Sometimes the prompts bring to mind a situation I am in the midst of and how I should respond or act. Sometimes there are no prompts.
I have read the Bible cover to cover quite a few times and am continually surprised by what I read. Because the Bible is God’s Word there are times when I can’t believe I missed something He may have been trying to tell me or had I been paying attention, I may have found resolution or direction for something that I was wrestling with. Like a distracted child I believe God uses His Word to tell me what He wants me to know and I have an opportunity to listen. He doesn’t demand my attention because He doesn’t need it but if I take the time, He shows up.
When I first started reading the Bible I did so out of duty or obligation. I thought being a Christian meant dutifully reading my Bible and checking it off my daily task list. It wasn’t until I bought a Bible that had a cross-reference column in the middle that everything changed. The cross-reference allowed me to read a verse in say Matthew and then see a related verse in Mark and then a related verse in Jeremiah and then in Isiah, etc. After a few weeks of following the cross-references a picture started to emerge. It was overwhelming at first because everything was connected. All those different writers over so many different periods of time validated each other and all kept pointing to the same basic idea - God loves us and wants the best for us but we fight so hard to go our own way and live with our own outcomes independent of Him. Now I can’t help read the Bible and not see the overarching picture in my mind of what it tells me and how I fit in it.
I am not perfect and don’t run with open arms to the Bible every day. I wake up with a mind full of thoughts and selfishly want to pursue activities that I think I will find more enjoyable. As I get older it becomes easier to pick-up from where I left off because of the evidence I have experienced by continuing with the habit.
In the Bible, David has to remind himself of God’s faithfulness notwithstanding he had seen and experienced so much of God directly. If a man like David in all his humanness needed to remind himself of how good God was, then I definitely need to keep the daily habit of reading the Bible and seeking Him out.