Believe it or not

I have been daily reading my Bible for the better part of the last 15 years. During Seminary I was exposed to the more technical side of Bible study, and I learned a great deal about the details of authorship, historical context, and grammatical construction.  I became very familiar with the stories, the characters, and the basic meaning of most things I read. I don't know how many years I went without missing a day, other than days I was too sick to get out of bed. Even on vacation, I always began my day in the Word of God.

Then, believe it or not, about three years ago I entered a kind of "wilderness experience" in reading Scripture. It seemed something was missing. I was just going through the motions. At that point it became a challenge to read the Bible each day, and honestly, I missed some days. Through that I grew to want more than knowing what God had done, and what the "correct" interpretation of the text was, but also what God was saying to me through His revelation in Scripture right now.

In this frame of mind I began to seek a new way to read the Bible. Not that there is anything wrong with sitting down to read it for content, and not that there is anything wrong with reading it for critical understanding, but I wanted to hear God speak to me in the midst of my life. I didn't want to just be able to answer questions about the Bible, I wanted the Bible to answer questions for me.

That is when my reading changed. It is true that God spoke to me many times throughout those first 10 or 12 years. But in the last 3 years God has really been speaking directly into my life. What made the difference? I'm not sure I can give you a perfect answer, but I know it has something to do with being more open to the Holy Spirit. I pray that God speaks and I tend to be more attentive. I write down what I believe God is saying to me and I spend more time meditating on Scripture and thinking about what I have read.

I have challenged each of you to read through the Bible, but remember I did not set a time limit on you. This isn't a race. God can speak on any day, from any passage of Scripture.

I pray that as you read, meditate, memorize meaningful passages, and journal your conversations with God, that Scripture will be written upon your heart and through a deeper love relationship with God, lead to a life more and more like Christ.

God loves you. He is speaking. I love you too, and I am asking Him to help you. He will.