Make 2020 the Year You Read Your Bible
I've been there. Lying in my bed at the end of the day wondering why I didn't read my Bible. My mind quickly compiling a list of reasons:
I didn't have a single “free” minute in the whole day.
My children and the housework consumed me.
If I only had a moment of peace and quiet, it would have been easier.
If I was less tired...
Has it happened to you?
I can write a million reasons to excuse my lack of Bible reading, but in the end, they’re still what they are: excuses. It’s much easier to think that the reason we don’t read Scripture is outside of us—that the conditions aren’t adequate or that we don’t have the perfect scenario—because it allows us to gloss over the truth that reveals our disinterest: we don’t read the Bible because we don't believe enough in its power and sufficiency. Sometimes we are truly in tough seasons of transition, grief, or chaos where regular Bible reading is legitimately hard. But if we default to excuses in every season, we have to wonder if they reveal something deeper—our disinterest or disbelief that God's Word is something we desperately need and full of power. The true problem is often not that we lack time, structure, or discipline (though we may genuinely lack those things). The deeper problem might be that we lack faith.
This statement may sound drastic, especially if we believe that the Bible is the Word of God. But if we’re honest, on a day to day basis, we hide that great truth in a pocket of disbelief. Our eyes lose sight of the fact that the Bible is the voice of God—that it is alive, effective, and powerful.[1] Our hearts grow cold, because when duty governs them, our love for the Word of God drowns in a sea of uncompleted tasks. And our minds, instead of being transformed by the truth, forget their urgent need for renewal.
So as we approach this new year, instead of thinking that what we need is a change of circumstances to make Bible reading seem a little easier, let’s repent and ask for a renewed awe for God’s Word. God will answer our prayers—believe that he will! I encourage you to camp in Psalm 19:7–9 and turn it into constant prayer. Asking God to open my eyes to the attributes and the effects of the Word of God has been instrumental in awakening my affections for reading my Bible.
The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul;
the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;
the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes;
the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever;
the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether.
No matter how dull our hearts feel while we read the Bible, we can believe that it’s always changing us. Whether we feel it or not, the Word of God is making an impact on us because it is powerful to renew us, and its perfection is trustworthy. Instead of running to things that will take life from us, we can run to the source of revival!
By faith, we can rely on God’s written revelation. It’s the sure source of the wisdom we need to stand firm. There is no earthly substitute for the everlasting joy that the Word of God provides. Whether it makes sense or not in our daily reading, we can trust that it is renewing our minds and transforming our understanding.[2] Sister, read your Bible by faith! Believe that it will enlighten your eyes and inform your emotions.[3]
Ironically, it’s by reading the Bible that our desire will grow for reading the Bible. It’s only by exposing ourselves to it that we will find it satisfying and sweeter than honey. I have countless experiences of grabbing my Bible with a cold heart and reading it by faith; and then closing it with new affections. The Word of God is a fire that melts my frozen heart and a hammer that breaks my unbelief.[4] It’s by digging into its treasures that we understand its surpassing worth. It’s by soaking it in that we can discern our own hearts and God’s will. That won’t happen in a moment, but in the constant, repetitive, and faithful reading of God’s Word.
Whether you read or listen to it, whether you study large portions at once or work slowly through a passage—don’t stop! Even if you haven't been reading and you don't know where to start, it's not too late to try again. If you’re in Christ, God is not giving you the cold shoulder. He wants you to come back and open his Word! And even if you’re totally tired or in a chaotic season, can you think of one change that would help you spend even five minutes in his Word each day?
Whether you feel like doing it or not, read the Bible by faith. We can’t afford not to be in the Word daily. But if you find yourself lying in bed at the end of another day that you didn’t read your Bible, instead of being stopped by condemnation, run with confidence to the throne of grace and grab your Bible again by faith. The day by day choice to go to God’s Word in faith can make 2020 the year you read your Bible.
[1] Hebrews 4:12
[2] Romans 12:1-2
[3] Psalm 119:18
[4] Jeremiah 23:29
