I believe the value of spending time in the Scriptures is not emphasized enough in our current times. Why read it? Reading the Bible is a huge part of how we follow Jesus. The Bible is a library which tells a unified story that leads people to Jesus. We do it to know who God is and know who we are. It teaches us how to relate to each other and to God. The Bible tells the true story of human history. Reading the Bible will shape us as followers of God into the image of Jesus, so we can participate in what God is doing in the world.

So many don’t read the Bible regularly and if we do, it is out of obligation, duty, or some other reason. Studying scriptures can be an acquired task, it takes discipline to change your desires, to change the habits of life. With some effort, studying the Bible will be something you take pleasure in and desire for more of.

This task of doing something we don’t understand, or can’t see the immediate benefit from, makes me think of the Israelites walking around Jericho for six days. I’m sure they were wondering, what’s the point? We may feel that during our reading time, prayer, etc. God works on our hearts through obedience. He’s teaching us to trust Him for the outcome instead of trying to achieve it on our own. He is at work, even in the days it doesn’t feel like anything is happening, walking in circles. Obedience is drawing us closer to him. It’s the best place to be even when we don’t understand.

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash