As we come to our Bibles, ready to read along with the Spirit, our devotional life should begin to change. It may not be quick and it may not always be easy or vibrant, but God will meet us there. I always find it surprising how many new details God can still disclose to me on any given Bible story. Sometimes I’ll walk away saying, “Wow, I’ve heard that story a million times, but I’ve never seen that before.”
Words, phrases and entire passages begin to pop in a way that they never did before. Other passages that I’ve read suddenly pop into my head as something to consider in light of what I’m reading. It’s as though something is going on inside of me that seems too observant to actually be me.
I often feel that when I’m writing. Passages and quotes come flooding back to my head and I write in their direction. There’s a pastor in the movie, Selma, that speaks perfectly of what I feel in those moments. “Sometimes it’s instinctual, like, when you’re preaching—and you’re just flying. You know? You’re not on the notes, you’re not on memory. You’re tapped into what’s higher; what’s true. God is guiding you.”
Many pastors and worship leaders are able to recall such a moment in their ministry, but I suggest that this kind of possibility is open to all of us in our Bible studies. If we come ready to listen to the Spirit, then He will direct us in that time. Verses, passages and lessons that we’ve heard before will come to our minds and God will begin to direct us through our studies.
It is His book after all. Why did we ever think we could read it without Him?
Want to continue the conversation? Take the long journey with my book/audiobook, The Rush and the Rest, or take a shorter path with my condensed version, Fantasy IRL.
Jamin Bradley 