Communing with God Through His Word
by Mikey Walter
It’s 5:30 again. I only hit snooze once so I call it a win. I still have a good bit of time to open up my Bible (after I brew a cup of coffee). I take it to the couch and open up to my bookmark. I’m currently reading through Colossians. I read through two chapters this morning and even did some cross referencing to other passages. A few things caught my attention in the text. I learned some things this morning about the struggles of the church in Colossae and some things about the Greek word paradosis. Cool. I guess that’s a win too? It seemed productive, but if I’m honest it felt a bit…dry.
I don’t know if this is a relatable scenario for you, but it is far too common for me. I so often find myself approaching the Bible like a textbook instead of what it really is: the living and active words of almighty God (Hebrews 4:12).
What is your criteria for a good “devotion time”? Have you ever asked yourself this question? What are your goals when you sit down with your Bible? I encourage you to pause for a minute and answer this for yourself…I’ll wait.
Is our goal more knowledge about God? That’s good, but not best, and not the ultimate goal (I hope).
God desires for our hearts to be changed, not just our heads. The Bible is not just a book to be studied, but an invitation to communion and conversation with God.
Before I keep going down this train of thought, I want to stop and say that knowledge about the BIble, about God, and about who we are in Christ are SUPER important. I’m not knocking studying the context of a passage or doing word studies. We must seek to understand what the author was trying to communicate to his original audience, and what God is communicating to his church today.
However, if knowing these things doesn’t help us love Jesus more, or love others more, or make us stand in awe of our majestic God, or change the way we live, then our Bible study is pointless. Or probably even more likely, dangerous.
“You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, …But I know that you do not have the love of God within you.” - John 5:39,42
The Pharisees of Jesus’ day would memorize at least the Torah (the first 5 books of the Bible). I can almost guarantee that’s more memorized scripture than anyone reading this blog. They knew the Word! But the Pharisees should serve as a warning to us; knowledge of His Word is not the same as His Word being in us.
When we open up our Bibles, the Spirit of God extends an invitation for us to commune with Him. If we believe that this Word is living and active, then we should enter into it expecting for God himself to be present! So what can we do to help make our “quiet time” a little less quiet and more interactive? There’s no perfect formula, but here are some things you may consider:
Journaling
Journaling slows us down, helps us process the Words we’ve read, and fosters reflection. There are tons of practical methods of journaling, but just one I might suggest is SOAP. 1. Write down the passage of Scripture. Write down your Observations. What stands out? What questions do you have? Then write down Application. What does this mean for your life? How will you put it into practice? Then Pray about what you’ve read, and write down your prayers.
Meditation
Many people associate meditation with eastern religions or new age practices, but the truth is meditation on Scripture has almost always been a common practice of the church prior to the hyper-distracted smart-phone age. Meditation in eastern religions is about emptying oneself, while Christian meditation is about filling yourself with the Word!
“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it.” - Joshua 1:8
This is the first instruction given in the Bible about what we are to do with the Bible. Meditate!
There’s one practice I learned many years ago that I wish I did more that has really helped scriptures come alive in me. It involves taking a sheet of paper and dividing it up into 3 sections: “Meditation”, “Tasks” (distractions), and “Pursuits” (other biblical passages to come back to later), and meditating on a single verse or even a short phrase of scripture. The process would take a minute to explain, so instead of getting into the details I’ll point you to this short video if you’re interested.
Prayer
We need God to know God. So, before we even open up the Word, pray! Ask the Spirit to open up the Scriptures to your mind and heart and to transform you. Many times we stop the divine conversation there and practically act as if the Spirit flutters off when we say Amen and start reading. Don’t! He is present, so talk with him in the process. Here is a simple but practical process I have learned:
Promises - When you read a promise of who God is, what He has done, or what He will do, thank him and ask him to help you believe it more.
Commands - When you read a command or an exhortation to obey, set your heart towards obedience before the Lord, tell him your desire to follow and ask him to help you obey.
Questions - When you read something you don’t understand, ask the Spirit to give you insight.
Let’s take John 15:9 as a simple example: “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you [PROMISE]. Now remain in my love [COMMAND/QUESTION].” When you notice the promise, pause and speak a few sentences to the Lord: “Thank you for your love. Help me to know your love in a greater way today”, then keep reading. When you see the command, pause and pray “God, I want to remain in your love. Help me.” If you don’t really understand what it means to remain in His love, pause and ask him to give you insight.
Study and Commune
If we only approach the Bible in an attitude of study, to know what the text says, we will become like the Pharisees who knew the Word of God but not the God of the Word. If we only approach the Bible in an attitude of communion and encounter, our feelings and thoughts will end up defining who God is and we will engage the words of scripture in dangerous ignorance. Both are gutterballs.
Father, thank you that because of the blood of Jesus we can commune with you, even today. Help us to recognize your presence with us as we open your Holy Scriptures. Help us to take the invitation to fellowship with you through your Word, to truly know you and love you more. Amen.