This is an excerpt from the Desperate for Hope Bible Study.
We have the privilege of talking to and listening to the God who created the universe and controls everything in it. But we still often struggle to carve out time with Him, especially in an overwhelming season. And when we don’t have any desire to meet with God, sometimes the first step is simply asking God to help us want to read the Bible and talk with Him.
Your time with God doesn’t need to follow a certain format. Find what works best for you.
Here are three practices that can help your Bible reading become more meaningful:
1. Pay Attention to What the Text Says
To know God, we need to know what His Word says. Look into it long and carefully. Don’t passively drift through the text. Memorize passages, note surprising words or phrases, and rewrite Scripture by hand to help you see what’s there. Moses saw the value of rewriting Scripture and even instructed Israel’s future kings to recopy the law for themselves to help them learn to fear God and obey Him and so they’d always have it (Deut. 17:18-20).
2. Dig Until You Understand the Meaning
Each book in the Bible was written to a specific audience, so we must first read with that context in mind, and then discern what it means for us. Don’t dismiss the things that you don’t understand but rather keep digging, not putting yourself “over” the Scripture, assuming it has to fit your view but instead put yourself “under” it and let it shape you.
3. Respond to Scripture
Obey what God says in His Word since we are to be doers of the Word and not hearers only (Jas. 1:22). Essentially, these instructions are encouraging us to look at Scripture and ask:
What does it say?
What does it mean?
What do I do?
When he is seated on his royal throne, he is to write a copy of this instruction for himself on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests. It is to remain with him, and he is to read from it all the days of his life, so that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, to observe all the words of this instruction, and to do these statutes. Then his heart will not be exalted above his countrymen, he will not turn from this command to the right or the left, and he and his sons will continue reigning many years in Israel.
Deuteronomy 17:18-20
How can we know God’s presence when He feels distant? It starts with talking to God, believing He is listening and answering our prayers. It is honestly lamenting, knowing that our cries will lead to joy. It is reading and studying His Word. The goal of prayer and reading Scripture is not accumulating more knowledge; it’s encountering God—seeking His face, hearing His voice, enjoying His presence, worshiping Him, and beholding His glory. Those things will transform us. Undoubtedly Scripture does many other things; it gives us hope, revives our hearts, teaches us God’s ways, comforts us with His promises, and gives us wisdom, to name a few. But our reading should ultimately lead us to God Himself. And in deep suffering, more than anything else, our hearts need to experience His presence. As we begin to view all of life through the lens of God’s presence, we’ll discover that even in our sorrow we can find fullness of joy in Him.
In this 7-session study, Vaneetha Risner tackles the hard questions and offers a scriptural framework to help you find hope in your pain. She will be a gracious guide through this difficult topic, walking with you as you meet women in the Bible who suffered loss, and sharing her own experiences of longing and grief. In the end, you’ll find that the answers to your deepest questions can be found in the character, goodness, and sovereignty of God.