I’m reading through the Bible chronologically this year. I am so blessed to be doing it with an amazing group of women virtually(through the Every Woman A Theologian ministry).
In 2020 I picked up my Bible and began attempting to read it regularly again(not my first attempt). I struggle with being distracted in my own mind, not to mention having the cutest people/dog depending on me to keep them fed, loved and taken care of in various ways. I wrote this off as not realistic, impossible and really just sitting in the “why do I even try” thought process. For some reason in the middle of all of my negative thinking I asked God to put a desire for His word in my heart, because I recognized that that desire wasn’t there for me. When I did that, something changed.
So I started showing up and it didn’t look how I wanted it to. It wasn’t distraction free. I didn’t have a personal take away every day. I didn’t feel magically filled up and transformed and on a spiritual high at the end of every read. I missed days and I closed it in the middle of a sentence to deal with some sort of toddler crisis and didn’t always go back. I read the Bible wrongly and then learned to read it rightly. I sought my self and solutions to my problems instead of seeking after God. I began to seek after Him and His character and He allowed those problems to be transformed by the slow process of sanctification(John 17:17).
👆🏻And all of that mess lead to a habit; to show up in the word. Because I asked. Because He’s gracious. Because I showed up even when I didn’t feel like it.
And through that process He did give me what I asked for; a hunger for His word.
Here’s the other thing -> He didn’t just give me the hunger for His word, He allowed resources to be put before me. Other Christians around the Globe who are teaching sound doctrine to help me understand how to read the Bible. To not just plop the pages open and point and treat it like a fortune cookie instead of the inherent word of God. I learned that personal application was the last step in reading. That authorship, genre, historical context are important things to take into account. To read the Bible Christologically. The sit in the parts that are hard to read/understand. To not know the answer and not rush to conclusion. To extend grace and learn to love the church that doesn’t land in the same places on sencond and third tier doctrinal issues.
I’m sharing this because if you’re struggling to be in the word, I want you to know that I’ve been there. That sometimes we have to ask for help and sometimes we have to show up even when there’s no motivation. And that there’s GRACE when you get it wrong and when your environment isn’t perfect.
John 17:17 Sanctify them in truth, your word is truth
The Crunchy Vagabond 