“Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” Psalm 119:105 (NIV)
To truly savor the scriptures and grow in our relationship with God requires some planning.
Start making that plan by praying and selecting the following:
Pick your time and place. Picking the time of day and a quiet place to spend with God to savor the scriptures is probably the most difficult of the preparation tasks. Chose a time allotment – perhaps start with 15 minutes, and consider extending it as you are led. Then choose a time of day when you have that 15 minutes and access to a space where you won’t be disturbed.
A lot of Christians will tell you that the morning is the best time to spend time with God, and there is a Biblical basis for this. Throughout the Old Testament, whenever giving is talked about through sacrifices or tithing, the Israelites were told to give their “first fruits.”
Honor the LORD from your wealth And from the first of all your produce; So your barns will be filled with plenty and your vats will overflow with new wine. Proverbs 3:9-10 (NIV)
The first fruits are considered the best fruits – God wants us to prioritize him by giving him our best gift, not just our leftovers. So, in this sense, giving the first part of your day, before it is consumed by other priorities that zap your attention and energy, makes sense. On the other hand, perhaps you are more of a night person, and this really is your best time. Or, maybe you have an hour for lunch when you can steal away and have your quiet time with the Lord. You do get to pick the time – God has given you this freedom. But above all, be sure to pray about it. Ask God to show you when your best time for Him is, and together, you will figure it out. And, truthfully, with all you have going on, it might be that whatever time you find will become your best time, with God’s help, because it is the time you have to give.
Pick your method. There is a difference between simply reading the Bible and engaging with the Bible. And the Biblical encourages us to take a deeper dive into the scriptures.
On the glorious splendor of Your majesty and on Your wonderful works, I will meditate. Psalm 145:5 (NAS; emphasis added)
Simply reading the Bible will prepare our knowledge of the scriptures, which is very good, but engaging with it will do more for our application of the scriptures.
I heard it said once that engaging with the scriptures should involve our head, heart and hands. It should involve our head as we read and learn the scripture, it should involve our heart as we seek to understand the scripture, and it should involve our hands as we consider how to apply the scripture in our lives.
The goals of scripture engagement are that we get to know God more, that we develop a relationship with him, and that we practice quieting our own thoughts so that we can let the Holy Spirit impress thoughts upon us. There are several ways to help you meditate and engage with the scriptures. The BibleGateway website has several sources. Here are a few that they mention:
- Reading and meditation (e.g., SOAP – Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer)
- Praying scripture
- Journaling scripture
- Hand copying scripture
- Comparing texts (different translations, or using a concordance to compare similar texts within a translation)
- Painting scripture
- Singing scripture
Maybe you will think of another expression. Be creative! No matter what you choose, the important thing is to strive to decrease your own voice, and increase God’s.
Pick the scripture. Sometimes when we get ready to read our Bible we think, “I’m just going to open my Bible to any spot and trust that this where God wants me.” You certainly can do that, but you might tend to gravitate toward books you are more familiar with, or you might miss something else God is trying to show you through other means. Instead of scripture roulette, you could choose ahead of time a particular book of the Bible, or a theme. Again, pray about it! Ask God to direct you toward the scriptures he would like you to savor. Consider the following ways to select your scripture:
- Follow a daily devotion (email, website or book).
- Read through a book of the Bible, maybe a chapter or less at a time.
- Follow a theme. Here are a couple of resources for theme guides:
Bible Verse by Topic from BibleStudyTools.com
Dictionary of Bible Themes from Biblegateway.com
And, always be open to God presenting scripture to you in other ways, such as from Sunday’s sermon or from your small group.
Like preparing your favorite meal, savoring the scriptures involves something on our part. It involves us carving out time in our busy schedules, it involves our quiet attention as we carefully read the Scriptures God has provided to us to help to know him more, and it involves our trust when we ask Him to help us organize our day so that we can be with Him.
Our God, our Lord and King, has invited you to dine with Him. Will you accept the invitation?
Jackie Moran