God’s Word

Once again, I had made the decision to read the Bible regularly. That shouldn’t be so difficult, since I like to read anyway. And I wanted to finally read the whole Bible from cover to cover. I printed out a reading plan from the Internet and started reading with motivation. In the morning with a cup of tea I sat down, read and then marked the corresponding part in my plan. You can imagine what comes next – weeks later I found I was struggling to get past the family genealogies. It was just gritting it out.

On the other hand, what happens when the Word of God suddenly comes alive? When you receive personal messages from God through the Bible? When the Bible becomes important to your everyday life? When you have aha- experiences and are encouraged? Then it becomes exciting! Then you will be excited every time you pick up your Bible!

Five years ago, my husband and I attended a seminar in which the leader introduced us to another version of daily Bible reading. Since then, we can count the days without a Bible on our hands! It inspires both of us and we benefit a lot from it! The big difference to a common Bible reading plan: I thank God for his Word and before reading, I ask him to show me words, correlations or verses in the text that he wants to speak to me personally. I then approach the reading with an open, expectant mind. And so the text comes alive! The Holy Spirit will ensure that passages in the text become relevant to me personally; they are illuminated as if lit with a flashlight and take on meaning for my life.

Every day I read one chapter in the Old Testament (OT), one in the Psalms, one in Proverbs and one in the New Testament (NT). If a chapter is too long, I can split it up. And if it’s too much for me one day, I just do part of it and pick up where I left off the next day. When I’m done with Proverbs, I start over again, the same with the OT, NT and Psalms. It is enriching to pick up another translation and continue reading there. I highly recommend the Passion Translation. I love it. I feel God’s heart more in it than in any other translation I know.

I write down what God shows me in the chapter in a journal. So over time I have books with the verses that speak to me, that “jump out at me” from the text and that have become important to me. My husband and I usually find time in the evenings to read our verses from that day to each other and explain why they are important to us. Sometimes it’s little things that we understand, sometimes we learn a whole new facet of God’s nature.

It’s so beneficial to understand God better! God’s way of thinking is so much more present in my mind. I understand so much better that God loves me, that he is patient and loving and does not demand perfection from me. He gives practical instructions on how to deal with other people. I benefit so much from this wisdom and knowledge in my everyday life! I see that the heroes of faith in the Bible also had many shortcomings and were not superheroes without faults. I understand that God is a personal God and that I can hear what He wants me to understand.

Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path.
Psalm 119:105

The Bible is the Word of God and is as valid and relevant today as it was 2000 years ago. In the Bible you will find endless lists of people you have never heard of, lots of wars, murder and stories of suffering. Maybe you get stuck there like I was… But you also find guidelines for life and answers to your deepest questions.It shows you the compassion of a great God for poor and suffering people and the instruction for us to imitate him. It is the story of great love, drama, conflict, romance and redemption. It is the powerful story of a God who offers hope to a chaotic world; then and now.

Through His Word we can enter into relationship with our awesome God. One part of this relationship is prayer and being still, the other equally important part is reading the Bible. Just this last Sunday, our pastor made a good comparison: whisky stored in an oak barrel becomes more mature, mild and better tasting the longer it is in contact with the wood of the barrel. You and I also become more and more mature, mild and better, the longer and more intense our contact is with God and His Word!