Praying the Lord's Prayer through Lent :: Week One

“To be a Christian without prayer,” wrote Martin Luther “is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.” Communion with God is at the core of what it means to follow Christ. Prayer is the word we used to describe our interactions and communication with God. Jesus’ disciples noted something significant about Jesus’ time alone with God. It was so discernable that they plainly requested, “Jesus, teach us to pray…”

Over the next several weeks, we’re going to experientially explore how we can utilize the Lord’s Prayer (or perhaps better named, The Disciple’s Prayer) to connect with God. The following is a potential guide for this week.

Silence.

Take a minute and simple close your eyes and breath. Take a couple of deep breaths. Relax.

Read.

Slowly read through the Lord’s Prayer. As you do so, take note of what sticks out to you or grabs your attention.

Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from the evil one.

-Matthew 6:9-13

Read.

Slowly read through the prayer a second time. Only this time, do it out loud.

Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from the evil one.

-Matthew 6:9-13

Did you notice anything different that time? What was it like to hear yourself saying the words?

Read.

One more time, in silence, slowly read through the passage. Take note of what sticks out to you.

Pray.

Take the portion, line, phrase or word that sticks out and spend a few minutes talking with God.

This Week.

Do this each day this week. You may find it helpful to write down in a notebook the word, line or phrase that captures your attention.

Each day, do this with fresh anticipation to meet with God. People often experience God emphasizing different words and phrases to them each day.

LISTEN = SILENT

Silent and Listen both are made up of the same letters...
...The first step in being able to listen is to be silent.

Things I Caught Along the Way

In my personal library, I have over a hundred and fifty books on prayer. These books range from how to pray like the Desert Fathers of the Third Century (who fled from the cities to the desert in order to meet with God in solitude and silence) to how to influence suburban America by prayer walking. Books that teach about prayers of petition, praise, intercession, not to mention praying for friends, family members and the needs of others. Others portray prayers of examination, reflection and praying through the Bible. You get the idea, a lot of books about prayer. Did I mention I really like books?

Some of these books have been instrumental in challenging my life of prayer with God over the years. But, if I’m honest, when I think about prayer, there’s an image that out weighs all these pages of the sages. It’s the image I have of a mentor of mine during my late teens, early twenties. There he was sitting in a chair -  early in the morning – every morning. Praying. At times, words were flowing or passages of Scripture being quoted. At other times, silence, not a word was uttered, rather simply being present before God. I have images of him driving to and from work, praying as he drove. He would pray for me and others, as well as upcoming Bible studies, ministry endeavors, and the like.

Silence Nurtures Transformation

Silence from The Gravity Center on Vimeo.

Finding Silence

When you get in your car, what’s one of the first things you do? If you’re like most people, you turn on some music. But, have you ever stopped and wondered why?

Everyday, millions, while at home have the television on. No one is watching, but it’s on nonetheless. Why is this?

In surveys, the number one reason people say they keep the television on in their homes is simply to generate some kind of noise.

“I just like having something going on the background,” people say. But, why is this?

Have we become afraid of silence?

Talking to God Without Words

The God of the Bible is a relational God. He is a communicative Being. From the Garden of Eden in Genesis to the very last words of the Book of Revelation, God interacts and communicates to His people. God walked with Adam in the cool of the day. He spoke to Abraham in a vision. Jacob encountered God in a late night wrestling match and God spoke to Joseph through dreams. For Moses, a burning bush, lightening, earthquakes, clouds, fire, tablets and snakes all became God’s instruments of communication. God spoke to Balaam through a donkey and to Peter through a rooster. Elijah found God as a gentle whisper in sheer silence and David as he lifted his voice in song. Jeremiah understood God through an almond tree. Isaiah saw a vision of heaven and a coal touching his mouth, while Daniel simply received a message from God as a mental picture. At other times, God got creative and imaginative. For over a year, the prophet Ezekiel laid on his side as a message from God to the people of Israel. On another occasion, Ezekiel took a clay tablet, drew on it and then destroyed it in front of the people and simply said, “Yup, that’s what God says…” Another prophet, Hosea’s, very life circumstances became a prophetic parable, a dramatic representation of the heart of God for His people. Scripture says that God also had some prophets say nothing verbally, rather they acted out God’s message like a mime. (You may have to dig a little to find that one). Jesus Himself used seeds, birds, flowers, children, kings, fish, nets, coins, hillsides and stories to communicate to the people of God. Jesus very life was a 4D display of God in the flesh (see John 1:1, 14, 18).

How did God communicate to humanity throughout Scripture? He utilized every possible means.

Think about it.

Sabbath in the Suburbs

Sabbath in the Suburbs is a worthwhile read, especially if you're looking for ideas of what it could look like for a family to celebrate the sabbath together. There are a number of books that provide an in-depth understanding of the sabbath, historically how it has been observed by Jews and Christians, etc, but there are few books that chronicle the journey and exploration of what this could look like for a person and/or family. This book would be though generating for any person, especially those with young children.

A few quotes:

We have such a short time on this earth. How do we we want to live it? Always busy, working on the next project, chore, or errand? Or with an attitude of unhurried trust and joy?

The world would go on without us. We would be dispensable. We would let God's grace seep into us in a way that is can't when our lives are crammed full of activity.

Sabbath is more than a day; it's a mind-set.

Sabbath is a way of modeling a different relationship with time, one that values relationship over achievement.

Paul's Ephesian Prayer :: Remixed

The following is a rewrite of Paul's prayer found in Ephesians 1:15-23.

Because God has chose you, predestined you, accepted you, redeemed you, forgiven your sins, lavished you with his grace, shown you his will, marked you with the Holy Spirit and given you an eternal inheritance that you can partake of in the here and now, I have not stopped giving thanks for you. Day and night I’m praying for you! I keep asking God, over and over, to give you in abundance the Spirit of wisdom and revelation. The Spirit that causes you to come alive with an awareness to God and His present-nearness, even in the most mundane moments of life. In all the arenas of your life, may you know God better. May your relationship with Him continue to move from the theoretical and abstract to the practical expressions of love and faith in action. May this experiential knowledge of God transform you from the inside out and cause you to walk in complete freedom with-Him.

Like the shutter of a camera that opens to let light in so that an image can be captured, I pray that the eyes of your heart will be opened, so that the image of who God created you to be, will be etched and developed deep in the core of your being. May every skewed image of this world that rises up to distort your true identity in Christ be exposed for what it is, a mirage - an illusion.

May you be consumed with the hope to which you have been called. All these truths that declare who you are in Christ, may they begin to cause you to see everything from His perspective (God, yourself, others and the world in which you live). May you be so infiltrated by the reality of God’s promises that you will never again settle for empty, stale or aimless living.

May you come to understand not only who you are in Christ, but how Christ Himself sees you. You are His treasured possession, a precious jewel, the very one who He suffered and died for to reconcile back to Himself.

May you know that you are no longer under the tyranny of sin, nor the power of Satan. No longer are you to be spellbound by the enchantments of this world or imprisoned by the fads and labels of this present age.

For the same dynamic force that God exercised to shatter the dominion of death, raising Christ from the grave is at work within you who believe. May you live in the sphere of His kingdom here and now…

Paul's Colossian Prayer :: Remixed

The New Testament letter's penned by the Apostle Paul contain instruction and doctrine, but they are also very personal. In 1 Thessalonians 2:8, Paul writes, "we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well."

Paul saw prayer as a significant element of the on-going transformation within the life of those he discipled. Not only their prayers, but the prayers he prayed for them. In nearly every letter we have by Paul, he makes note that he has been praying continuously for them. In a few places Paul even gives us a glimpse into not only the constancy of his prayers, but the content as well. There's much we can learn about prayer from simply reflecting on they types of things Paul prayed. The past couple of weeks in New Community, we've been reflecting on Paul's prayers. 

I've encouraged  everyone to take the passages/prayers that we're studying and commit to pray them throughout the week for: 

• themselves/immediate family, 
• someone they are close to, and 
• someone they have a hard time being around (but must interacte with on a regular basis). 

In addition to studying and reflecting on Paul's prayers as they are written, each week, I've offered a rewrite of the passage. A remix, if you will, of the passage, what it means and how we could practically pray it for ourselves and others.

The following is the rewrite for Colossians 1:9-14.

God I pray that you grant unto me an experiential encounter with Your truth – the knowledge of Your will. Renovate my mind and establish the blueprints to Your kingdom deep within my heart. God, help me to see things from Your perspective. Everything, from who I am to what I do. Invade every sphere of my life – private to public. May I live as if You were living through me. I pray the very minute details of my life will bring an unending smile to Your face.

God, more and more, let me learn how to keep in step with Your Spirit in every part of my life. As I follow Your leading, the way You want things to be done, may my life be marked by the out-flowing of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Father, expand the horizon of my vision, until I see Your present-activity in virtually every arena of my life. Strengthen me with the power of Your Spirit. As I’m empowered according to Your might, may I not bow down as a despondent coward in the face of adversity and difficult circumstances. No, in the power of Your might, may I find the wherewithal to stand and not give up. When I’m mistreated and in the midst of difficult people, may I be slow to anger and respond to others with love and grace.

Finally, I desire to be a wellspring of joy, giving thanks to you at every occasion. May I not get bogged down with the snares of this world to the point of my joy becoming strangled and my heart diminishing into decadence of complaining. May I never lose sight of the reality that I was once aimlessly wandering in sin, shrouded by death and held captive under the dominion of darkness. Not so any longer! I have been rescued out of darkness, snatched out of death and transferred into the kingdom of the Son of Your delight. I have been chosen, forgiven and redeemed because of Your never-ending love.

Nannie Dairies :: Learning to Hum

Growing up, I spent quite a bit of time at my grand parents. They owned a small farm in North Carolina. My grandmother, affectionately known as “Nannie,” lived to be nearly ninety-six years old. She was blessed to maintain her mental capacities and relatively good health all the way up until the end of her life, which spanned over the course of nearly a whole century.

Since she was a little girl, she loved God with all her heart and endeavored to follow the ways of Christ in every area of her life. She was an amazing woman of faith.

One of my earliest childhood memories of Nannie is that of her humming. Humming while doing the dishes. Humming when snapping peas just picked from the garden.  Even while cleaning floors or toilets, regardless of the task, she could always be found humming.

As a child, to me this humming seemed like nothing more than background noise. I was unaware of what was going on. I was Unconscious to the realities at hand, as I was too consumed with my childhood pursuits of fun and games to notice and too naive to understand fully what these sounds meant. Yet these sounds, the sound of Nannie’s humming still echoes in my ears to this day!

During my twenty’s, during a visit home from college, it dawned on me that Nannie wasn’t just humming – she was singing. And, she wasn’t merely singing – these were songs. And, not just any songs – these were hymns. She was worshipping God…continuously.

It wouldn’t be for another ten or fifteen years before I would more fully realize and appreciate the rare quality this was to be found in a human. It wouldn’t be until I found myself surround by long work days, pressing needs and the necessities of life, not to mention three young children, who at times demonstrate more frequent fits of frenzy and sibling rivalry than the do the harmonious joy filled love shared among brother and sisters.

Moments and seasons to which one (present company particularly) would be more prone to sigh in exhaustion, rather than sing. Moments where the humming has long since digressed into mutterings about simply “getting along.”

It has been in moments like these, that I hear the echoes of Nannie’s humming rise up within my soul. Echoes of a woman, who had long since learned to rise above the challenges of life. In times like these, as the Psalm 78:7 says, she becomes “my example.”

A life that demonstrated the embodiment of the seemingly inconceivable admonitions of found in Scripture. Scriptures like Colossians 4:2, where the Apostle Paul exhorts us to “pray continuously.” Or, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-19, where it commends us to “always be joyful. Never stop praying. And be thankful in all circumstances.” Or, as Colossians 3:16 instructs us, to “sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.”

These are Scriptures that can seem impossible at times to live. Yet, I know they are, because I’ve seen them lived. And, Nannie was my example.

When I grow up, I want to be like Nannie…

 “You have been my strength and protection.
That is why I can never stop praising you;
I declare your glory all day long.
(Psalm 71:7-9)

Action:

As you find yourself doing a seemingly menial task like taking out the trash, cleaning the house, mowing the grass or driving around town, begin utilizing these moments to intentionally worship God. Hum a song. Sing a hymn. Or, simply make up a sonnet from your heart to God. As with anything, the more we do this, the easier it will become and the more natural songs will flow. And, perhaps one day we’ll find ourselves just like Nannie – simply worshiping God all day long…

In Search of Faithful Companions

"I will search for faithful people to be my companions." 

(Psalm 101:6 NLT)

Again and Again I am struck by the intentionality spoken of in Psalm 101. In v.6, the Psalmist says, "I will search for faithful people to be my companions." 

It seems that we often view the discovery of friends (companions) in kind of a happen-stance manner. Indeed, more often than not, friendships emerge out of such seemingly spontaneous settings and meetings. You meet someone. There's some sort of chemistry or similar common interest and affinity. Then, over time, a friendship develops - perhaps...

But, the Psalmist doesn't seem to be speaking of such scenarios here. He says, "I will search." He's intentionally on the look out. For what? A companion. Person(s) who he can live-life with. And, not just anyone will suffice. He says, I'm looking for those who are "faithful." 

The Psalmist may have many acquaintances, but he recognizes that there are those who transcend beyond into the realm of companion. Those who have the access to speak into our lives, to know us deeply, and to be known by us.

He's conscious of the type of person who has access to his soul. He is aware that he will be shaped by those he "dwells" with and those who are allowed to "minister" to him (speak to him, pour into him, influence him, etc).

We all have friends… 

But, how many are faithful companions? How many faithful companions do I currently have? People who know me - my depths, my dreams, my fears, my frustrations and so forth?

What would it look like for me to "search for faithful people" in my own life?

How many people consider me one of their faithful companions…?

"A friend," wrote Henri Nouwen "is someone who asks how you are doing and then waits around long enough for you to answer." 

How many people do I demonstrate this quality to…? How many ask me and then wait around for the answer…?

We all need faithful companions! May we develop the intentionality to "search." And, a keen "eye" to see those who God is putting in our path to journey with...

Daddies Home

Have you ever noticed how excitable children can be? 

How quick they are to celebrate the seemingly mundane moments of life? 

Nearly ever afternoon, joy-filled squeals erupt within my house, as I pull into the driveway. “DADDY’S HOME!” The point here isn’t my royal greatness in the kingdom of fatherhood, rather the ability of a child to become instantly ecstatic with celebration. But it isn’t just my arrival, it’s moms, sunny days, bike rides in the park, even apple sauce. A child’s capacity to celebrate the smallest moments of life is limitless.

It seems the older and more mature we become, our capacity to celebrate the seemingly small and mundane moments of life diminishes tremendously. Is it that we’re becoming smarter and wiser or duller and numb? In our sophistication we can discern numerous reasons to help deflate the enthusiasm and excitement out of just about anything or anyone.

“Because children have abounding vitality,” writes G.K. Chesterton in his outstanding work Orthodoxy, “because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say, ‘Do it again’; and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead. For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony. It is possible that God says every morning, ‘Do it again’ to the sun; and every evening, ‘Do it again’ to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never gotten tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy.” He concludes with the penetrating thought, “for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we.”

Lately, I’ve been reflecting about how I can cultivate more of these childlike (or should I say Godlike) qualities in my own life. The following are a few small things that are helping me to move in this direction:

1. Live Today

Many seem to live with the illusion that joy will come someday when their current circumstances change. Days spent daydreaming about how much better things will be when they get married, have children, get rid of their children, get grandchildren, etc. Others get lost in the events of yesterday, replaying them as they could’ve been, would’ve been, should’ve been. The only day we can live in is the this one – the one called today. The Psalmist declared, “This is the day the LORD has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.” (Ps. 118:24)

2. Smile

This is simple, yet profoundly practical. Here’s an experiment you can do right now. Stop reading, smile while counting to five. Scientists tell us that the mere act of smiling, actually releases endorphins (natural anti-depressants) in our bodies, causing feelings of happiness and joy to emerge. What would happen if at every stoplight, while you waited (patiently) you smiled? At the very least, we wouldn’t be so quick to jump on the horn when the person in front of us is a little slow in punching the gas-on-green.  However, I imagine we may actually being to see things from a more joy-filled perspective.

Smiling faces make you happy,

 and good news makes you feel better.

(Proverbs 15:30 GNT)

3. Designated Times of Fun

There are days when I come home, perhaps during a particularly busy or stressful week and declare “Family Fun Night.” Whereupon, all three kids begin to jump up and down chanting “Family fun night! Family fun night!” Our destination may be a restaurant, putt-putt, a play-scape or a yogurt shop. The point isn’t the place; it’s the posture and attitude. It’s a time of intentional connecting and celebration. The only stipulation is that all cell phones stay at home or in the car. After all, it’s impossible to be present with the family if my mind, eyes and thumbs are captured by the clutches of Facebook updates and such.

4. Be intentionally Grateful

If we’re not careful, we can all become full-time professional critics. We can spend our days seeing everything that’s wrong with everything, while remaining crippled in our ability to see the good, the beautiful and the divine that is often present in the mundane.

Have you ever noticed that the more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate. What is there in your life worth celebrating? What are you grateful for? What if, before you went to sleep tonight, you simply began to tell God what you are thankful for?

Every good and perfect gift is from above, 
coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights. 
–James 1:17

When we celebrate, John Ortberg writes, “we exercise our ability to see and feel goodness in the simplest gifts of God. We are able to take delight today in something we wouldn’t have even noticed yesterday.” Intentional celebration and gratitude increases our capacity for joy.

5. Dance Like No One is Watching

Have you ever noticed how often the thing that prevents us from experiencing joy is our preoccupation with ourselves? There’s a direct correlation between my willingness to pour myself out for the joy of others and my ability to notice and celebrate the multitude of small gifts God offers each day. Boredom, writes Walker Percy, “is the self stuffed with the self.”

When children become excited, they dance. When was the last time you danced? I don’t mean went to a club and danced. I mean, danced for joy? Did you know that the God of Scripture dances? The bible tells us that God dances over His people with singing. What would it look like for you to join Him? Here’s a suggestion: when at home, crank up some music and dance before God – as if no one was watching. If you are married and have children, you may even want to invite you to join you. If you struggle with this, I’ve found that it sometimes helps to put a pair of shorts on my head. Just don’t forget to smile.

  

To miss out on joy is to miss out on the reason for your existence.

Lewis Smedes

Joy is the serious business of heaven.
–C.S. Lewis

Every Life Has a Story...

What would it look like if we approached each person we encountered as if they possessed a story...?

Through the Bible...

I need a change.

Something fresh.

This pretty well summarized my thoughts as I began to reflect on various spiritual practices that I would engage going into 2012.

Over the years, there have been various ways of engaging Scripture that I've found helpful. For the past several years, I've targeted specific books of the Bible and/or passages to explore, ruminate and study. This year, the desire began to grow to read through the complete Bible from the beginning.

This type of reading plan has often frustrated me, given that I tend to prefer a slower more contemplative reading of Scripture. That being said, this year I'm hoping to be able to accomplish both.

As I'm reading through each day, I am looking for those moments where it seems most needed to slow down, pause and prayerfully reflect and journal about what's there. I'm super excited about the new discoveries that will be found this year...

Two new items that I'm really excited about: The Mosaic Bible and Glo Bible.

I was looking for a new Bible to work through. I didn't want a study Bible, yet I was looking for something that would offer something fresh to my weekly reflections. I came across the Mosaic Bible which does just that. At the front it has weekly reflections-meditations that coincide with the Christian calendar.

The following is a brief explanation by Tyndale:

Holy Bible: Mosaic is about helping you encounter Christ in a deep and authentic way, through insight from every continent and century of the Christian Church. Historical and contemporary art and writings from across the globe offer a depth of Scriptural wisdom and understanding as you read and reflect on God’s word.

Mosaic is arranged so that every week has variety of content for reading and reflection. Each week follows a theme appropriate to the Church season (such as Advent, Easter, etc). The content included for each week includes full-color art; Scripture readings; a historical reading; a contemporary reading; a prayer, creed, hymn or quote; and space for reflection.

The other resource that I'm using is Glo Bible software. As I'm reading through, I'm using Glo's "journal/add note" feature to capture thoughts, insights, reflections and prayers. For just under $35, you can sync notes from up to five devices. This works well for accessing/input from my phone, as well as from my desktop. It also works in partnership with YouVersion.

Guided Prayers

  If you are weary of some sleepy form of devotion,

probably God is as weary of it as you are.
~Frank Laubach

If you're looking to engage God and explore different forms of prayer, check out pray-as-you-go.

They offer a daily podcast (10-13minutes) that provides space for stillness, silence, reflection and simply being with Christ.

There are many different expressions of prayer found in Scripture. There are times to come to God with our lists of needs and concerns. There are also times to simply follow the Spirit's leading in prayer. Another form of prayer is simply allowing another guide our times of reflection and prayer. Pray-as-you-go offer daily reflections of such a genre. I'm committing utilize these guided-narrated prayers several times a week simply as a means of engaging God in a different manner than is typically a part of my weekly/daily rhythms...

Journaling Resources

Journaling slows down the mind to the pace of the hand

so the soul can catch up to the speed of life.

Here are a few online resources to explore journaling...

Examen.me
This is a website that allows you to create a user profile and save all your reflections. It offers daily readings, prayers, etc. You can reflect on a passage, or engage a prayer of examen. You can search entries, as well as export them to you hardrive.
http://www.examen.me


Journler
Journler (spelled as is...) is a downloadable program that allows you to save entries to your computer. You can integrate images, sound and video into journal entries. They can be searched by text, date or tag.
http://journler.com

Ommwriter
Ommwriter is a downloadable program that over-rides your screen - pushing all other programs and notifications to the background (and silent)... I has various background tracks that can be played as you write.
http://www.ommwriter.com

PRACTICING THE PRESENCE OF GOD :: PRAYER OF SURRENDER

PRAYER OF SURRENDER

A prayer of surrender is simply a point early each day when you give your day and self over to God.

It could be as simple as, “Today, this is Your day… Today, I am Yours… May Your Spirit lead, guide and prompt me throughout my day… May I be sensitive to Your prompting and respond accordingly… Today, I surrender my life to You…

PRACTICING THE PRESENCE OF GOD :: NAMES OF GOD

God took the initiative in revealing himself to humankind. God showed himself to Moses in a burning bush and then told Moses his name – Yahweh – I AM WHO I AM. God’s name revealed the transcendent immediacy of a God who was present. Flippant or magical uses of God’s name was forbidden by the third commandment. 

God revealed himself to Israel in a variety of names. In the bible, names carry particular significance. They are sources of revelation and a glimpse into the mystery of the bearer’s identity. Names and titles for God express something of the character, presence, authority and nature of the divine being. It should not surprise us that images for and names of God can be more mysterious than comprehensible. They invite us into contemplation of the holy One. They compel us toward worship rather than explanations. Behold. Look. See. Meditate. Open wide to the God who is beyond and above, yet at the same moment God in and with us.

SUGGESTIONS FOR MEDITATION ON THE NAMES OF GOD

RECOMMENDED READING :: ENGAGING SCRIPTURE :: MEDITATION

Here are a few books that you may find helpful in learning how to engage Scripture more reflectively.

Recommended Reading:

The Message Remix : Solo by Eugene Peterson

Life with God: Reading the Bible for Spiritual Transformation by Richard Foster

Eat this Book: a conversation in the art of spiritual reading by Eugene Peterson

ENGAGING SCRIPTURE :: EXPLORATION OF STUDY

"What do I need to do to grow as a Christian?" This is a commonly asked question by sincere followers of Christ. And the response? Often is something to the effect of "read your bible and pray." On the surface this sounds like a solid answer. After all, who could go wrong with reading their bible or praying. Interestingly though, how many times does the bible actually tell us to "read" it...? We're hard pressed to find any reference that instructs us to do so (at least in the context of what "read" means to a western mindset). On the contrary, Scripture encourages us to study, reflect and deeply meditate.

Exploring Scripture through Study is more of an art form than a science. Scripture is simply amazing!


The Puritan writers said that, “the Bible is so shallow that babes cannot drown, yet, so deep that even the most asute of theologians cannot touch the bottom, yet.

The rabbis spoke of the text being like a gem with seventy faces, and each time you turn the gem, the light refracts differently, giving you a reflection you haven’t seen before. And so they would turn the text again and again because they kept seeing things they missed the time before.

The following are a few ways practice the exploration of study.

• Pray, asking God to teach you.

• Discover the context - this is very important to accurate interpretation.
  
• Look for the obvious - facts about people, places, events.  Often these will be repeated making them easy to see.  This provides a framework for the text.
  
• Be objective - let scripture speak for itself. Don't try to make it say what you've always thought it said.  Ask God to make His truth obvious to you and then adjust your life accordingly.
  
• Read asking questions of the text.

Approach the Scripture as a detective looking for clues to a mystery.

“It is the glory of God to conceal a matter,
but the glory of kings is to search out a matter.”
-Proverbs 25:2

Here are some questions to consider when studying Scripture:

• Who wrote it?
• Who did he write it to?
• Who are the main characters?
• What are the main events?
• What is the meaning of the message?
• What are these people like?
• What is his purpose in saying this?
• When was it written?
• When did this event happen?
• When will this take place?
• When did he do or say this?
• Where was this done?
• Where was this written?
• Where will it happen?
• Why was this written (Why did God want me to know this?)
• Why did the author say so much, or so little about this?
• Why should they do such and such?
• How did it happen?
• How did they do it?
• How do I do that?

Record your answer in a notebook. 

You will be amazed at how much you learn that you did not realize was there.

It may also be helpful if you use a Bible that you are willing to mark in.

I often photo copy a passage I'm studying on a 11 x 17 sheet of paper and use the margin to take notes, connect thoughts and ask questions...

I also find it helpful to create a Word .doc. I copy/paste the text at hand and as I study out the words/phrase/passage, I enter in findings, questions, insights, etc underneath the verse in the document.

• Identify key words.

Marking key words consistently throughout the text will help you quickly identify common themes.

A couple of resources for growing in the practice of studying Scripture:

• How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth by Gordon Fee
• How to Study Your Bible: The Lasting Rewards of the Inductive Method by Kay Arthur
• The Blue Parakeet: Rethinking How You Read the Bible  by Scot McKnight
• Rick Warren's Bible Study Methods: Twelve Ways You Can Unlock God's Word by Rick Warren 

to be continued...