Tomorrow our church begins the Navigators’ 5x5x5 reading plan, which takes us through the New Testament in a year, with readings for 5 days each week. I plan to post some short reflections on the readings from time to time, but before we start, here are some thoughts on how to approach reading God’s word.
1. Believe
We need to approach God’s word by believing it is God’s word. Scripture is clear: “All scripture is God-breathed…” (2 Timothy 3:16). Therefore, the words we read are God’s words. They are not like the words of any other book (even Christian books). They are God’s actual words recorded for us by the Holy Spirit through human authors.
So, open your Bible with expectancy – God is going to speak to me!
2. Pray
Reading God’s word can be a battle. The devil doesn’t want us to read it. Our fallen natures resist reading. Even when we do read, it is easy simply to skim the passage and say to ourselves, “I’ve done my bit for the day.”
We are completely dependent on the Lord’s help to read and hear God’s voice in his word. So, we need to pray, “Lord, help me to understand,” or “please, speak to me today.” Sometimes, it’s helpful to adapt words of scripture and use them to pray. For example:
- Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening (1 Samuel 3:9).
- Open my eyes to see wonderful things in your word (Psalm 119:18).
- May I not live by bread alone but by every word that comes out of your mouth (Deuteronomy 8:3).
- May I treasure your words more than my daily bread (Job 23:12).
- Refresh my soul, make me wise, give me joy, give me light” (Psalm 19:7-8).
- Teach me, rebuke me, correct me, train me, equip me (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
3. Ask
As we read the passage, ask questions about what the passage means and how you should respond to it. For example:
- What does it tell us about God?
- How does it show us Jesus?
- What does it say about us?
- How do I need to respond?
- Is there something I need to believe?
- Is there something I need to repent of?
- Is there something I need to praise God for?
- Do I need to change my thinking about something?
- Is there something I need to do?
- Is there something I need to say to someone?
- How do I pray in response to this?
So, to take the first verse of Mark’s gospel as an example: “The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God…”
- What does it tell us about God? That He came to us in the person of God the Son.
- How does it show us Jesus? He is the Messiah, the Saviour. His coming is “good news.” Why? Because as God’s Messiah, He has come to save us.
- What does it say about us? Think for a moment… Jesus came to save us, which means that we need to be saved (otherwise, why would He have come at all?).
- How do I respond? If I’m not a Christian, I need to repent and believe. If I am a Christian, I need to praise the Lord and tell people about him, and pray for God to bring my family and friends to faith in Jesus.
May we truly be encouraged through our time in the word of God this coming year. May we grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Saviour Jesus Christ.
The best is yet to come 