My first experience with Bible study was in high school, as part of a youth group I attended.
From the very first words I read, I remember thinking and feeling that ‘this is true.’ I can’t remember if we were reading the words of Paul or the words of Jesus (it was one of the two), but I distinctly remember that feeling of recognizing truth, that ‘this is how the world should be,’ contrasted with ‘this is how we are.’
This has consistently been my experience with the Bible over all the years since. I still hear the words “this is true” in my spirit when I read it.
Since leaving the work force 22 years ago, I have had the privilege of spending a lot of time reading and studying the Bible, both by myself and with others. I know that everyone has not had that same opportunity, and I hope that sharing my experience with scripture might make it easier for others to place their trust in it.
Some years ago, in addition to our women’s Bible studies, a friend and I decided to read the Bible through in a year. We found the experience to be so meaningful that we decided we would do our best to read through it every year for the rest of our lives. This year is our 8th year, and we remain committed to this practice. We mix it up by reading different translations and/or following different reading plans. It started as a discipline, and while it is still a discipline, it has also become a joy. Something wonderful we’ve found is that each time through a passage, we discover something that we hadn’t really noticed before. There are so many layers to the Bible, and with each one God’s story becomes more clear and complete, and our story within it makes more sense. It is incredible how every bit of it applies to our lives today, too! (I truly encourage you to start this practice for yourself. It takes me about 15–30 minutes a day, depending on how focused I am. Yes, I get seriously behind at times, but I slowly catch up, no matter how long it takes. Give it a try!)
The more I read and study the Bible, the more convinced of its truth I become. It has never been wrong, or unreliable, or failed in any way in my experience. Questions that arise in one part of scripture can generally be explained by looking at other parts, giving careful consideration to the Bible as a complete text. God’s Word is self-validating – it is hard to explain, but it somehow proves itself. This must be the power of the Holy Spirit.
As for the questions that scripture does not seem to answer, or the things that are hard for me to accept, they genuinely bother me less as I grow more familiar with God and His Word. I think this means I have come to trust Him.
Here is how I approach hard things in the Bible: I always start with two things we know about our God as revealed to us: He is good, and He loves us. I then move on to remind myself that He knows and understands things that I don’t about the situation being considered. With all of this in mind, I might have a conversation with myself that goes something like this: ‘I trust that God (who is good and loving) knows something about these people or this situation that caused Him to act the way He did.’ Another example might be: ‘God loves me, and He knows and wants what is best for me, so this is why He has asked me to live this way.’ This approach requires both trust and humility – this is why it is so hard for us. (I hope to write more about this later.)
It also helps me to remember that God does not think like we do. As He tells us through the prophet Isaiah:
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9
Our part is to trust, and let him be God.
Please read the Bible for yourself and see what happens! “All scripture is God-breathed” as Paul tells us in 2 Timothy 3:16. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, may you read it and be renewed…..may you read it and trust.
With love,
Catherine
the reason for my hope 