“Scripture is the manger in which the Christ lies.’ As a mother goes to a cradle to find her baby so the Christian goes to the Bible to find Jesus. But don’t inspect the cradle and forget to worship the baby.” – Martin Luther
I’m going to be honest.
This last semester I struggled with my bible reading.
It was the busiest semester of college I’ve had so far and every minute I wasn’t working or going to class or socializing, I was studying.
Like literally every minute.
This meant mornings consisted of studying, which meant my quiet time that typically takes place in the morning was either post-poned or shortened or skipped. If you read my post Made to Feast, you’ll know I struggled with this.
I was spiritually hungry.
It was during this time that my family happened to be watching some testimonies one day of previous Mormons who had converted to Christianity. Their testimonies were beautiful and raw and powerful and struck me to the heart.
What was the one thing that brought an ardent young man, passionate about his religion, who had grown up in the Mormon church, whose father was a bishop, who was planning on attending BYU, who literally was on the second year of his Mormon mission, to the saving knowledge of Jesus’ grace apart from works?
Advice he received from a baptist preacher he had been trying to convert to Mormonism.
“Read the bible like a child.”
Those words stuck with me for a long time. And not only those words, but the testimony of Micah Wilder and how much he treasured the Bible, how the verses of scripture just rolled off his tongue as he shared how reading it had softened his heart and opened his eyes. (If you’d like to watch his incredible testimony you can find it here)
I thought about those preachers words for a long time,
“Read the bible like a child.”
See, I’ve had the immense privilege of sitting under strong biblical teaching for years. Ever since I was a baby, my family has attended amazing bible-churches and small groups and last year I attended two semesters at a discipleship school where I learned hermeneutics and homiletics. I have spent hours studying the bible; underlining, cross-referencing, looking up definitions of words and reading commentaries.
Don’t get me wrong, I have grown so much by doing this. I have learned beautiful truths about God and I’ve been deeply encouraged and comforted and exhorted.
But little did I know that slowly the Bible was becoming like a textbook to me. I’d forgotten how to read it without pre-determined opinions. I’d forgotten how to read it without constantly searching for specific applications and golden “nuggets”.
I’d forgotten how to read it like a child.
And due to this, at times it was just easier for me to skip reading it altogether because it was beginning to feel like what my life was already full of- academics.
So when I heard that testimony from Micah Wilder, I was struck to the heart and I ached to treasure and desire the Word of God the way he did. A way that reminded me of a passage from 1st Peter.
“Therefore, putting aside all malice and all guile and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, like newborn babes, long for the pure milk of the word, that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord. ”
-1 Peter 2:1-3
My baby niece is one of the most well-behaved babies I have ever been around. She’s smiley and content and rarely fusses.
Except during one time.
When she’s hungry.
And she won’t stop crying or fussing until she’s been fed.
God commands us to long for his Word in the same way. To not be satisfied until we have it. To hunger after it.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t long after my textbooks that way.
But the bible isn’t meant to be a textbook.
It’s meant to be milk for our growth, a light for our path, a sword to our spirit and a lamp to our feet. Its sweeter than honey and more precious than rubies. Its flawless and eternal and right and true. Its perfect and its personal.
As St. Augustine once said,
“The Holy Scriptures are our letters from home.”
I don’t know about you, but I don’t read a letter from someone I love the same way I read a textbook.
And I don’t know where you’re at, but let me exhort you:
Don’t ever stop hungering after Gods word.
If you can still do that while cross-refrencing and reading commentaries and desiring it like a baby desires milk, then by all means, do so!
But if you’re like me and you’ve been struggiling with reading Gods word because it feels more like sitting in a classroom than sitting in his presence, stop and change the way you read it for a while.
Read it like a child.
No, I don’t know exactly what that means or how its done. But for me it means going to read it this Summer without a journal laying open ready to take notes, without blue letter bible pulled up on my phone and without a highlighter in my hand searching for a nugget to underline.
For me it means having the attitude that David had when he said,
“My heart stands in awe of your words. I rejoice at your Word like one who finds a great spoil.” (Psalm 119:162) and “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” ( Psalm 119:103)
This Summer, I’m going to read as much of the bible as I can every day. And nothing but the bible.
Don’t get me wrong, I believe studying the scriptures is so important and worthwhile and I know that it won’t be long before I get out my journal and commentaries and highlighters again. But I don’t want to forget the purpose of scripture- its not teach us about theology, but to teach us about Christ.
The pharisees were amazing scholars who memorized entire books of the Bible, and yet they never saw Jesus in everything they read and studied.
I don’t want that to ever happen to me. Or anyone.
Truly, God didn’t come to make us his scholars, but his children.
So stay that way.
Hunger for the word like a baby. And read it with the wonder and excitement and full faith of a child.
