Well, it’s that time of the year again, the time where most people reflect on the past 365 days. However, this post is not about the resolutions you set last year or even the ones you need to set for the upcoming year. This post is about the habit you and I desperately need to cling to right now and in the coming year. That’s right people, I’m talking about the rhythm of daily soaking in the Word of God.
Hang with me here. My goal is not to guilt trip you for this whole article. I think God is allowing me to write this for my own conviction and encouragement as well as yours.
We all know that reading the Bible is a thing that needs to be done. However, it is important to spend a little time thinking about the “why” and “how” we read scripture, not just acknowledging that we should or need to read scripture. Here are some thoughts that have been on my mind this year as I have engaged with God through His Word pertaining to reading, praying through, and setting my mind on Scripture.
When it comes to getting into a daily rhythm of reading my Bible, I often try to overcomplicate and set lofty goals with good intentions. Then life hits me like a ton of bricks and all those extravagant plans go out the window. Then I feel like a failure. I found Mark Arant’s message on Bible Reading encouraging. This past year I have been working on “mastering the restart.” When I find myself inevitably falling out of my regular rhythms of Bible reading, no matter how far off track I’ve gotten, I just restart. The point is not to satisfy our arbitrary goals, but to commune with the one true God. In the coming year, my only goal for scripture reading is going to be that I drink as deeply from the well of truth as I possibly can.
This may or may not be a new concept for you, but something else that I have employed this year is praying through God’s Word. I recently read about George Müller, a Christian Evangelist most notably known for starting orphanages in England. Müller would start each day by meditating on scripture. This often led him to praying through the scripture he was meditating on. He found this time of meditation and prayer fed his soul in a way that kept him satisfied in the Lord.
I was recently reading a book with a student and I was blown away by a simple truth that I had forgotten. The book we were reading brought up Ephesians 6:10-20. In these verses, Paul is closing his letter to the church in Ephesus and directing them to put on the full armor of God. Of all the pieces of armor listed, there is only one offensive weapon – “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God”! God supplies us with everything we need to engage in the spiritual battles of life and His Word is our only offensive weapon! How important then is it that we cling to, set our mind on, and soak in God’s revealed truth in Scripture.
Maybe you have other reasons to be immersed in your Bible this coming year. Maybe you have had good habits in the past that you want to get back to. Wherever you are, my encouragement for you as we gear up for 2019 is to not over do it with well intentioned radical life changes. Maybe you, like me, just need to be reminded to daily feed your soul in a way that keeps you satisfied in the Lord. I am praying that as a church we are all conformed and perfected by God’s Word and prepared for every good work in this coming year.
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
2 Timothy 3:16-17