I’ve been reading the Bible for as long as I can remember. Like most children born into Christian homes, I started with picture Bibles and then moved on to my first “real” Bible as a tween (a paperback Good News Translation). However, it wasn’t until I moved away for college in 2000 that I began studying the Bible in earnest.
The first time I read through the entire Bible, it took 3+ years. When I proudly told my spiritual counsellor that I’d finished, he simply told me to read it again! But then work, marriage, and motherhood happened, and I couldn’t systematically read through the Bible again until my sons were toddlers.
When I was in my mid-20s, I learnt that a middle-aged Christian author (and mother of multiple children) had read through the Bible 7 times. I was amazed and wondered if I’d ever reach that number in my lifetime. But by God’s grace, I have been able to make slow and steady progress.
Some years, I followed a Bible-in-a-Year plan on the YouVersion app. In other seasons, I used study Bibles or commentaries and took years to complete.
It felt great to establish a consistent Bible-reading habit, but I was missing something essential.
You see, I had learnt the inductive Bible study method as a new mom. The SOAP method (Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer) helped me build a regular Bible study habit. But I ended up merely mining the Bible for quick takeaways that benefited my life.
I read the Bible as a mirror, looking for what I could get from it for myself. I’d skim through Old Testament books, eagerly looking for verses that offered encouragement or direction. I thought of the Bible as a life manual, rather than a collection of books that tell one unified story. It’s a story that reveals who God is, what He’s done for His people through the ages, and how that matters to us today.
In Women of the Word, Jen Wilkin writes,
“The Bible tells us who we are and what we should do, but it does so through the lens of who God is.”
It took time to realign my perspective and view the Bible primarily as a book about God, not about myself. I needed to first understand what a passage revealed about God before I looked for a life application.
Tara-Leigh Cobble reinforces this concept in The Bible Recap (a yearly Bible reading plan). She ends each day’s reading with the question,
“What was your God Shot today?”
This prompt encourages the reader to consider what the day’s passage reveals about the attributes of God.
When I read the Bible as a mirror, only verses that convict or encourage me hold any appeal. But when I see through it as a lens to understand the nature of God, even the Old Testament passages I once skimmed begin to make more sense. It’s amazing how Scripture reveals God’s sovereignty, holiness, and generosity – even in passages that might seem boring and repetitive.
I do still look for personal application during my Bible study time. At times, the Holy Spirit uses Scripture to encourage my weary heart, reignite my faith, clarify confusing thoughts, or guide my actions. But reading the Bible primarily to understand what it says about God Himself has made the practice far more meaningful.
What does your Bible-reading practice look like? I’d love to hear your suggestions.
Photo by Blake Cheek on Unsplash
So insightful and thought-provoking…. Looking forward to using the SOAP method in my quiet time …. I loved how you perfectly addressed the way in which we as Christians generically read the Bible; and in contrast how we could be reading it to understand more about God.
Thank you Sheena Aunty🙌🏻
I’m glad you found it helpful, Franklyn. The SOAP method will surely deepen your understanding of God’s Word.
Looking for God’s characteristics/a revelation about who He is – God Shots during our daily reading! What A truly enticing thought Sheena.
This brings back to me a picture of how a lover searches in the woman he loves, not for things that benefit him, but instead with a heart just to know more about her – what she likes what she dislikes.
It’s Time to go back to our “First Love”..the way we were when we first Learned of God’s amazing, unconditional Love and to when we first Loved Him… To go back to falling in Love with Our Lord Jesus again and again, with everything that we learn everyday about Him and His thoughts.
Thank you, Scarlet! I love how you portrayed it as a growing relationship between lovers. Our time in the Word ought to always draw us closer to our first love.