Biblefresh: it could change your world

Please tell us about a time in your life when God spoke to you most vividly and personally through the Bible. Which passage was it and what did it mean to you at the time?

In 2006 our first grandchild was diagnosed with a malignant tumour on his liver, at the age of 5 months.  There followed a period of some anxiety for us all, coupled with the excellent medical care and treatment of Great Ormond Street Hospital for children in London.  None of us knew what the outcome would be, but a friend in the ministry passed on to me Philippians 1:19 which came as a shaft of heavenly sunlight.  Facing a situation where Paul personally did not know whether he would live or die, there was something he did know – “For I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, this will turn out for my deliverance.”  What struck me was that the help of the Spirit was directly linked to the prayers of his fellow Christians.  Many people were praying for little Oliver and our whole family was upheld by the Spirit of God in ways that were beyond the natural, knowing that since God works all things together for the good of those who love him (including our ultimate salvation) there is no room left for anything to work for our ill.  Today Oliver is 3 1/2 and has thus far made a complete recovery, but we know that his life in God’s hands every day.  Indeed that is true of us all and even a single, simple verse like Philippians 1:19 can lead us to have confidence in the Spirit’s enabling grace and power, as God’s people pray.

In recent years what has helped to keep the Bible fresh for you?

What keeps the Bible fresh is studying it in increasing depth and detail.  It is such a treasure-house of revelation, with every word inspired and instructive in some way.  Boredom with the Bible is the result of surface-reading, trivial playing with a few favourite texts.  We need to immerse ourselves in its depths to experience its life-giving power.

What does your regular practice of Bible reading look like?

I read the Bible a book at a time, recording my own questions, observations and lessons learned as I go.  Because God put the Bible together book by book, I think we should read it that way.  So I want to find out what the theme tunes are which play in the particular book I am currently reading.  That way, I get into the heart of the book and I’m able to find out why God inspired it and what it meant to its first readers.  If I can find out what it meant to them, then I shall begin to realise what its message must be for me now.  But you can’t read the Bible like this 5 minutes a day.  It would be much better to set aside an hour a week as a spiritual treat, to really get into its meaning and its meaning into me.

What would you say to a Christian who is struggling to read the Bible?

Keep reading; don’t give up!  Don’t try to read too much at one sitting.  Don’t be afraid to ask all your questions and expect the Bible to provide consistent answers.  Try something straightforward like one of the shorter New Testament letters to get you started again.  Remember the Bible is first of all God’s book about God, before it is about us.  So, ask the Holy Spirit, in prayer, to open your mind to understand more about God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, to warm your heart to receive and believe its truth and to energise your will, to put it into practice.

What is your prayer for the Biblefresh initiative?

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