In the midst of a difficult time I read Psalm 31:7 (here @ Bible Gateway). The last clause, “…You have known the troubles of my soul…” comforted me. It led me to review Hebrews 4:15 – 16 (here @ Bible Gateway). The message is clear, regardless of what we are going through, the Lord not only knows but in fact has gone through much more than we are or ever will.
This is a comfort. But more than that, it is instructive on how we should be approaching our time in the Bible. As we engage with His Word, we are not doing so in order to increase our knowledge. While it is good to know which prophets ministered to either Israel or Judah and it helps to know some Greek or Hebrew, being expert on the prophets or the languages is not really the point.
In John 5:39 – 47 (here @ Bible Gateway), Jesus is confronting those who know the Bible, as it existed then, very well. In fact they had the first five books memorized. He informed them in no uncertain terms that they had completely missed the point.
It is not about knowing the content. It is about knowing Him. When we come to the Scripture, we are being exposed to God’s nature and character, 2 Peter 1:2 – 11 (here @ Bible Gateway). As we read we should be looking for what the passage tells us about Him.
That was my experience in the passages I mentioned above. Those passages reminded me of the reality not only of His engagement with me personally, but also His empathy, care, and support in all with which we have to deal as we navigate our journey through this broken world.
If from time to time you are not moved to tears as you face this reality in the Scripture, you may want to spend some time praying through why you are engaged in the Word. You may want to ask Him to reveal Himself to you through the Scripture.
Psalm 119:18 (here @ Bible Gateway) would be a good thing to pray.
In John 5:39 – 47 (here @ Bible Gateway), Jesus is confronting those who know the Bible, as it existed then, very well. In fact they had the first five books memorized. He informed them in no uncertain terms that they had completely missed the point.
It is not about knowing the content. It is about knowing Him. When we come to the Scripture, we are being exposed to God’s nature and character, 2 Peter 1:2 – 11 (here @ Bible Gateway). As we read we should be looking for what the passage tells us about Him.
That was my experience in the passages I mentioned above. Those passages reminded me of the reality not only of His engagement with me personally, but also His empathy, care, and support in all with which we have to deal as we navigate our journey through this broken world.
If from time to time you are not moved to tears as you face this reality in the Scripture, you may want to spend some time praying through why you are engaged in the Word. You may want to ask Him to reveal Himself to you through the Scripture.
Psalm 119:18 (here @ Bible Gateway) would be a good thing to pray.
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