I have always been a note taker. An underliner. I am one of those people with some sort of paper source near by.
I have talked often about my love of words and cleverly thought out phrases. It’s just one of those things about me that I can’t get enough of.
But I often feel hesitant taking notes, in case I look like one of those nerdy, brown nosing kids that sit in the front row and ask for extra credit. Like I am trying to look extra diligent and spiritual.
Because while, I have a weakness for the catchy, it doesn’t mean I am a great student of the teaching. Rarely do I let it sink in. Rarely do I apply it to my life in any deeper sense.
Not that I am proud of that, by the way. But it’s true.
Many of my notes contain catchy phrases that are pleasing to the ear. Or scriptures taken out of context because they made me feel good in the moment. Sometimes wisdom can be a weapon when chopped up into a quick self help mantra.
For many of us we are severely lacking in the way we approach the Word. It is far too normal to come to the Bible and walk away fairly unphased.
While I completely believe “The Word of the Lord does not go out void”, We often allow ourselves to be numb to the true life changing power of the scripture. Why? Because we make it all about us.
How many times do we open up to a passage and ask how it applies to our own lives or situations? How often do we close the book feeling as if you are still as confused or misunderstood as we did before? Can we finally admit that sometimes we feel let down by the Lord because we can’t find the answers we want spelled out in black and white on the first page of the Bible that we open?
The problem isn’t the Word, or the God behind the Scripture. The problem is us.
So often I underline, highlight, or copy a phrase or scripture that stands out to me. Something that jumps out or seems to speak directly into the question bouncing around in my mind. But often don’t read further. How often do I write down the phrase that challenges me? The one that makes me uncomfortable? The one that challenges my feelings or even leaves me a little disappointed?
Not Often.
I go to the word for encouragement and affirmation. I go to it hoping that it will validate my wants and desires. And I quickly shut the book when it starts to feel dry or challenging.
I store away little tidbits and quotes that I can reference in a group of people to make me sound wise or relatable. Am I more likely to memorize a quote by a well looked upon teacher/speaker than something that comes directly from scripture? Sadly, yes.
The purpose of Scripture is to reveal Christ. It is to set our eyes on Him. To only go to it for direction and guidance in our own life, is missing a huge part of the purpose of the Book.
We need to go to the Word for more of Christ. To know Him more. To see more of His character. To reveal more of our sin, so that we can appreciate His mercy. To learn our identity that is given through the gift of Christ on the cross. We need to strive to appreciate it, not just for what it can bring us, but purely because it is the Word of God. Whether we feel like we are benefitting from it or not, it is the revelation of God. It is our source of life.
We need to learn to submit ourselves to the Word. To sit under it humbly no matter how it makes us feel in the moment merely because it is generously given from the majestic sovereign God of the universe.
If this hits close to your heart, here are some suggestions to enhance you experience of the scripture:
- Pray before you read a passage. Ask God to reveal the the message to you thru His spirit, not your own interpretation.
- Have a plan. Read a whole chapter, or a whole book. Get all the context. Don’t just open to a random page one day and another the next. If you open a novel to a chapter in the middle you won’t understand what is going on. Getting the whole picture will increase your understanding and guard against misinterpretation.
- Ask good questions. Ask what the passage reveals about God, what it reveals about our fallen condition, and how it points to Jesus. Then you can better apply it to your own life.
- Ask more good questions. Be sure to engage with others about the passage if it still seems unclear. We are meant to discover the Truth about God’s character in community.
- Be persistent. Keep going back. Keep praying. Keep asking. God intends to make Himself known to us if we are available to Him.
We can take heart knowing that even in the uncomfortable the all powerful, all knowing God of the universe loves us without condition because of the sacrifice of His Son. He does not Lord His power over us, but gave up so much to come and save us from ourselves.
Let’s keep each other accountable to looking further than a catchy phrase. To really dig into the Words of God, and not just throw around the phrases that make us feel better. Because even in the challenging, there is comfort in knowing that each word was intentionally allowed for the purpose of knowing that glorifying the God that loves us more than we could ever fathom.