by his grace, through his word, for our joy, to his glory.
(This post is one in a series on “How Do I Read the Bible.” Find other posts in the series here).
How do I read the Bible? Enjoy a daily “quiet time.” The basics of a quiet time are (1) the Bible and (2) prayer. We set aside a specific time to read God’s Word to hear his voice, and we talk to him in prayer. When prayer lulls, we read his Word some more. Back and forth – read and pray.
Psalm 119:18 is a prayer we can use when we open our Bibles to read: “Open my eyes that I may behold wonderful things from your Word.”
We need the Holy Spirit to help us understand God’s Word. 1 Cor 2:14 says, “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.” The Bible cannot be understood and embraced accurately by unbelievers, or even by us in our own strength. Knowing this, we read the Bible with dependence on God to help us know him through the help of the Holy Spirit.
…Today, as I continue to write on “How do I read the Bible,” I want to explore this important aspect about Bible reading: Discover the Big Picture Story.
The Story of the Bible is the awfulness of sin and the loving plan of God to reconcile sinners to himself through his Son, Jesus Christ.
…I’ve been thinking through helpful ideas I’ve been taught for how to read the Bible. While Bible *study* skills are important, Bible *reading* skills are also vital. And so, I want to post some of those ideas I’ve found useful. I don’t think that ANY of these ideas are original to me!, so I’d love to hear your ideas, too. Today, here is the first thought…!
How do I read the Bible? — Read the Bible as a story. What I mean by that is that we want to read the Bible with the understanding that when we open it to a particular chapter and verse, we’re jumping into part of the story.
…A few days ago I encountered a short prayer in Psalm 12, and since then I have been praying this prayer. The Lord has been answering and giving me the very thing I’m requesting, and I’m enjoying this fellowship with the Lord so much that I wanted to tell about what God is doing for me.
“Help, Lord.” (Psalm 12:1)
In any situation – whether very small or eternally big — these two words are a way to come to God and begin to pray. They remind me (1) what it is that I truly need and (2) Who it is that can supply that need.
Thirty years ago this May I prayed to receive Jesus Christ to be my Savior from my sins. I’ve questioned whether I was really “saved” at that time or not, because how much did I really understand at such a young age? I wondered about the timing of my salvation for most of my 20s. But the more I understand what the Bible says about salvation and our Savior, I’m more convinced than ever that I was genuinely saved at almost-6-years-old when I prayed to “ask Jesus in my heart.”
