God has spoken to us. What a privilege! What higher priority could we have than to listen to Him, and listen to Him regularly, and listen carefully?
What God has said is recorded in the Bible. It is the Word of God. It is through this Word that we know God, know ourselves, and know how He has brought the two together. It is through this same Word that God transforms our lives.
Personal, daily bible reading, reflecting and responding is then the obvious response to God speaking to us (in Joshua 1:8 God commands His people to meditate on His word day and night!)
In recent years, a number of research studies have confirmed that doing this four or more times a week leads to spiritual growth. But that’s hardly a surprise – the researchers have confirmed what God intended for us all along.
Pray – Read – Respond – Live!
Whatever method we use, meditating means more than just reading or listening to God’s Word, it means thinking about what it says and applying it to our lives. Try the following approach.
Pray
“But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.”
Start by asking God’s help to understand the passage before reading it.
Read (or listen)
Concentrate as you read or listen, thinking about what the passage is teaching. Reflect on what it is saying.
Some simple questions to help might include:
Where does this fit in God’s unfolding plan?
What can I learn about God and His purposes in this passage?
What is it saying about people?
What is the main point of this passage
Why does God include this in his Word?
Tip: Some passages may be harder to understand, or may have no teaching point you can discern. That’s okay – just thank God for His Word and ask for his help in understanding it.
Respond
“ All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
Consider what you have learned, and how to respond. This requires thinking about what you read, and your life. What difference will this word of God make in your life.
Pray in response to what God says in his Word you have just read.
Live it
“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”
Take what you have learned and apply it to your life. Pray that God will help you to act on his Word and not forget it.
Tip: Share what you have learned with someone you know – your spouse, your children, a good friend or your Growth Group.