We all have those times in our walk with God where things become stagnant. As a Christian, our walk with God is the main basis of life; so much so, that God called Enoch from this earth because of how close Enoch was to Him in his walk (Genesis 5:24 & Hebrews  11:5). What do we do when reading our Bible becomes a chore, or when we fail to pull meaning out of our reading?

  1. Pray for Closeness with God – The Bible is the most needful book we can read, but it’s not always exciting reading it. Pray for a desire for God in our life. The Bible says in Psalm 37:4, “Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” This is not a promise of gaining whatever WE want, but rather what GOD wants. The closer we get to God, the more we become like Christ. The more we become like Him, the more we desire the same things. Christ is the personification of the Word of God (John 1).  This will revive us of our desire to read His Word.
  2. Study a Passage for Personal Growth – If we aren’t careful, we forget the Bible was written for us to grow; 1 Peter 2:2 says, “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:”  Study Philippines for joy, Daniel for character, Psalms for heart, Proverbs for wisdom, Revelation for prophecy or the Life of Christ. Within these studies, God will begin to blossom our excitement for His Word.
  3. Talk with Others About the Bible – God’s word when spoken to others breeds faith. In Romans 10, we are reading a dissertation of the gospel, and the writer says in verse 17 “…Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” The supernatural power of the Word of God builds faith in our heart, which allows us to spiritually see/know God. As we are building faith in others through the Word of God, it is building us too. This process, in talking to others about the Bible, spurs us on to read it all the more; it becomes an iron sharpening iron situation.
  4. Keep Reading – There is a story of a young boy whose mother asked him to get his fill of water, however she gave him a wicker basket. Each time he’d fill it up, the water would seep out the sides of the basket. After several trips he came to his mom, very frustrated, and told her that he couldn’t keep any of the water in the basket. His mother smiled and replied, “No, you didn’t, but look how clean the basket is!” As we go through our difficult times of keeping the water of the Word of God in, remember that it is still working on your heart. Psalms 119:9 says, “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.”

May we get/return to a place in our walk with God that resembles Psalms 42:1, “As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.”

0