Why do we read God’s Word? Or better yet why should we read God’s Word?
What is the purpose of reading the Bible and setting aside the proverbial “quiet time” with Him?
For too many years I missed the point of my daily quiet times with God. I thought this time with God was about me. I thought it was what I was supposed to do. I thought it was something that made me a better Christian.
Now, I wouldn’t have actually said those things to you. But as I look back on my seasons of disillusionment with scripture, my inconsistencies with making daily Bible reading a priority, and sometimes even my sheer lack of desire to read because it seemed boring tells the tale that I had it all wrong.
Watch the video below to find out two changes I made that completely changed the way I viewed my quiet times (or keep reading below). Can’t see the video? Click here.
It wasn’t until I truly understood the point of my daily quiet time, seeing it rightly and through the lens of scripture, did I actually begin to enjoy my time in the word on a more regular basis.
Instead of waiting for the next emotional encounter, or spiritual high, I’ve been enjoying consistent communion with God, expecting to hear from Him each time I open His word, and experiencing a joy that comes from knowing Him more deeply for several years now.
But how did I get to this point of consistent communion with God?
First I stopped reading the Bible to figure out what it says about me.
I think many of us fall into this trap. We want to live godly lives. We genuinely do. But we get so caught up in what we’re supposed to be doing as a Christian that we miss the point entirely.
News flash: The Christian life is not about doing. It’s about being.
Being loved.
Being forgiven.
Being free.
But if we start reading the Bible as though it’s a rule book for life, telling us what we should do, then we get all mixed up. It’s not about that.
The Bible is first and foremost a book about God.
The Bible reveals God on every single page. It’s not a love letter to us or even book that helps us feel better about ourselves because we can turn to it when the going gets tough and we need to be reminded of how much we are loved.
Yes, the Bible can speak to those woes, but it’s not the big picture. The big picture of the Bible is that it’s about God. Who He is. What He has done. What He is doing. What He will do.
Second, I stopped reading the Bible as a feel-good tool.
When my quiet times were about feeling better or being strengthened for the day or feeling connected to God, I missed the point. I could easily let my quiet time slide if I was feeling just fine about life or felt completely capable, organized, and put together.
The Bible is not a tool for sustaining my emotions and feelings.
Yes, reading God’s word daily strengthens my faith, helps me remember that I am loved, and certainly helps when life is tough, but again, that’s not the point. The point of reading God’s word is to know Him. Who He is. What He has done. What He is doing. What He will do.
I like how Jen Wilkins puts it in her book, Women of the Word: How to Study the Bible with Both Our Hearts and Our Minds:
“The heart cannot love what the mind does not know. Yes, it is sinful to acquire knowledge for knowledge’s sake, but acquiring knowledge about One we love, for the sake of loving him more deeply, will always be for our transformation” (page 33).
- The Bible is a book about God
- The Bible is not a tool for making me feel good,
I started experiencing a deeper communion with God on a more consistent basis. Approaching God’s word for the sake of knowing Him more became the heartbeat of my quiet time. When my quiet times were no longer about me, but about Him it changed everything.
What about you? Have you been missing the point of your quiet time?
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I think this is the core of what I’m struggling with. I know I’m better off when I’ve had my quiet time, but I so struggle with actually doing it and letting Him speak to me with what he wants. I’ve even skipped quiet time because when I’ve gotten into it with the right heart it can be so hard to pull myself back out and return to the everyday tasks etc that I need to deal with. I would love to read more on how you changed your focus and mindset to enable you to really enjoy the time spent.
Such a great question and one I can definitely relate to! I will think on how to help with your question.
Wow- this post spoke exactly to what I have been struggling with in my quiet time. I love the quote about why we acquire knowledge- to love God more. That makes so much sense! Thank you for writing this post.
I’m glad you found this post an encouragement!
Thank you so much for this insight! I needed to hear both of these, but especially the second: that it is not a tool for making me feel good. If I could get that to sink on, it would take away the pressure of expectations for quiet time, opening the way for a sweeter, deeper time with the Lord, where the focus is Him as it should be.
Thank you again for the encouragement!
Thank you so much for your encouragement in helping others. I am truly blessed to have come upon your page. I have found that my Quiet Time with the Lord is my struggle and it is truly my favorite time of my day. thank you again for sharing also your How to Make a Prayer Note Book I am so excited to start on my personal one.
Thank you Leigh Ann for speaking truth. I took me years to figure it out. It’s not all about me. Now I have a much richer deeper relationship with my God.
That is wonderful! I’m so glad to hear this. It’s really easy to miss the point without realizing it.
Thank you very much for sharing. I approached my bible study time by looking for God and not on how I was feeling or what my circumstances were. It makes so much sense to me now and I will continue to approach the Bible to seek Him. Thanks again.
I’m glad this was helpful. 🙂