August 13th, 2010 | 
Author: 
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?
A few weeks after my father died my sister and I found a scrap of paper inside one of his books. One this piece of paper he had used a typewriter to copy out Psalm 27:4, “One thing I have asked of the Lord, and that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord, all the days of my life,”. I the weeks following I was, and remain, encouraged with the hope that these words expressed the faith which my dad had and which held him into that eternal presence of his Father. Since then, I have found in bible reading that the desire of the Lord is to dwell with his people and to have us live together with him. This is not a minor theme in Scripture but a great hope which shines from every page.
More recently, earlier this year at a conference another of our Bible Champions was speaking on Psalm 86 and verse 11 there stood out for me. “Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.” This verse is a prayer that the Lord will delight to answer. From one like me who is looking for the way, who is longing to walk in that truth which the Lord is, words to cry out to our God, asking him to teach us himself. I am challenged by the realisation that too often my heart is divided as I chase after the things of this world and the latest gadgets or entertainments. I am humbled to think of the many who have followed Christ before me and their wholehearted commitment to him and his way. The first step on this way is the truth that God is to be feared, to be lived with as one who is holy, glorious, eternal, good, right, true in ways that I can hardly imagine. I do not need to fear the fear of the Lord, but rather tremble at the thought of not learning his way and walking in it.
In recent years what has helped to keep the Bible fresh for you?
In the nearly 30 years now that I have been reading the Bible as a Christian I have often recognised the danger of Bible reading become routine. What I have found helps me most is to change my pattern of reading. Each year I start a new pattern that will take me through the Bible once again. While in general I follow the order of the books in our bibles I will regularly move things around, otherwise you are always reading the same passage at the same time of year. Reading Genesis at the same time as Matthew one year will open up one set of connections, but what about reading Genesis at the same time as Hebrews, or James, a whole new set of connections are set off in our understanding of Scripture. Some years I will use Bible reading notes, other years I won’t.
In our congregation we have mid week meetings at which set passages have been read over the week before our meeting and set questions are worked through and then discussed. I always find sharing Bible reading with others helps to keep the Bible fresh for me.
What does your regular practice of Bible reading look like?
I have set for every day a psalm, or part of a psalm, an Old Testament passage and a New Testament passage. Where I am able I will read the New Testament in the Greek. I usually have a book of the Bible which I am reading on, a commentary or book about that part of Scripture. I have tried to use Twitter as an encouragement to find a short reflection on my Bible reading which I can share with others, this is a challenge, to be brief, but also a good way of keep my mind switched on while reading as I ask, what I God saying to me here that I can share with others? I try to read the Bible every day, but don’t always manage. Over the years I have learned not to be lazy about Bible reading, nor to be overly hard on myself when it doesn’t happen as I would like it to.
What would you say to a Christian who is struggling to read the Bible?
1) Don’t panic! We’ve all been there.
2) Don’t settle for it always being a struggle, read hopefully that one day it won’t be a struggle.
3) Don’t give up. It is worth all the effort you will put in, there is nothing like reading God’s Word and hearing him speaking to you.
4) Talk to a Christian friend. Ask them to pray with you and for you. Ask them how they are doing with reading the Bible.
5) Don’t try to read it all at once. Take your time.
What is your prayer for the Biblefresh initiative?
O God, our Father,
You are a speaking God,
Thank you for speaking to us in the Bible.
Pour out your Spirit,
On all who read your Word,
That it may come alive,
With the sound of your voice.
Open our eyes, Lord,
That we may see Jesus,
Your living Word,
On every page of your written Word.
And seeing Jesus afresh,
May we follow him more closely,
And serve him more faithfully,
For your glory we pray these things,
Through Jesus our Lord. Amen.
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