I get so excited when reading the word and the Holy Spirit begins to expound the word to me in ways that amaze me. I sometimes find myself exclaiming and can’t wait to share it with my husband who is my Bible study partner. We sometimes start discussing our new understanding of a passage of scripture and get so caught up that hours pass by unknown to us.
If I am to be honest, this wasn’t always the case for me. There was a time that reading the word was more of a duty. Checking a box to fulfill all righteousness that I had read my bible that day as a good christian should.
God calls us to delight in his Word. To savor it, to enjoy it, to revel in it. But perhaps you are thinking to yourself, “that is not the case for me, reading God’s Word is more of a duty than delight”. Let me encourage you by letting you know that you are not alone. The Bible is not an easy book and reading the Bible is an acquired taste, but you can develop a delight in God’s Word.
Here are two tips that, if implemented, will surely take you to the place of finding delight in the word:
Firstly, read the Bible every day. Don’t wait until you delight in it. If you wait to read the Bible when you delight in it, then you won’t ever get started. Read it daily and ask God to speak to you. Ask God to meet you there in the pages. Don’t decide each day whether or not you will read the Bible that day. Decide right now before God that, by His strength, you will read the Bible every day.
Secondly, you need to engage fully when you read it. Engage with God. Pray about what you’re reading. Talk with God about it. Confess, personalize the scriptures, give thanks, and declare the word. Write down whatever understanding you are receiving. Ask God questions about the word you are reading. Look for every excuse to speak the word. Speak while driving, in the kitchen, at work. The more engaged you are, the better you will like it. If you just read to get through the passage or to check a box in your mind, then it’s boring. But if you fully engage with God as you read, then it becomes delightful.
If you do this, day in and day out over a long period of time, guess what will happen? You will thrive and flourish. Psalm 1:3 gives the joyful result of a person delighting in God’s Word. “He is like a tree planted by streams of water, that yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.”
You will find yourself getting excited about the word and see your heart begin to transform and the internal transformation becomes evident on the outside. Your demeanor changes as your confessions of scripture reveal the new you.
Suddenly, you will find yourself reaching for your bible at every given opportunity. You will relish your bible study times and guess what? you will begin to hear God speak to you. “God? Speak to me ?” Did I hear you exclaim?, but that is an article for another edition.
I am excited to welcome you to this new delightful lifestyle and I can’t wait to hear of your experiences.