Read God’s Word
Blessed is the man whose delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night (Psalm 1: 1–2). Here are some simple rules for Bible reading. First, read God’s Word with great reverence. Meditate a moment in silence on the thought that the words come from God Himself. Bow in deep reverence. Be silent before God. Let Him reveal His Word in your heart. Second, read with careful attention. If you read the words carelessly, thinking that you can grasp their meaning with your human understanding, you will use the words superficially and will not enter into their depths. When someone tries to explain anything wonderful or beautiful to us, we give our entire attention to try to understand what is said. How much higher and deeper are God’s thoughts than our thoughts! “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are… my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55: 9). We need to give our undivided attention to understand even the superficial meaning of the words. How much harder it is to grasp the spiritual meaning! Next, read with the expectation of the guidance of God’s Spirit. It is God’s Spirit alone that can make the Word a living power in our hearts and lives. Read Psalm 119. Notice how earnestly David prayed that God would teach him, open his eyes, give him understanding, and incline his heart to God’s ways. As you read, remember that God’s Word and God’s Spirit are inseparable. Finally, read with the firm purpose of keeping the Word, day and night in your heart and in your life. The whole heart and the whole life must come under the influence of the Word. David said, “O how I love thy law! It is my meditation all the day” (Psalm 119: 97). In the same manner, in the midst of his daily work, the believer can cherish God’s Word in his heart and meditate on it. Read Psalm 119 again, until you accept God’s Word with all your heart. Pray that God may teach you to understand it and to carry out its precepts in your life.
— Andrew Murray
1 Peter 1:23 declares, “For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.” The Word of God speaks life. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 attests, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” Scripture speaks into our lives and, we’re promised, it “never returns void” or without accomplishing its intended ends (see Isaiah 55:11). The hope of all believers ought to be that God’s Word do its work in our hearts and lives, to the end that God’s will be fulfilled, and He be glorified in us. Pray today, then, that as you read God’s Word, it would read your heart and reveal the perfect will of our God for you. —DH
—David Hoskins, Founder & Care Guide, Sanctuary Clinics