Isaiah 40:28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.

Have you ever tried to listen to pure genius talk passionately about their latest discovery? It doesn’t take long before you get a headache and leave. Maybe you get frustrated with them because they come off superior, haughty, or elite and suddenly you wish they would “get real”. Part of us wants to bathe ourselves in the mystery of that genius, to understand. Another part of us is afraid to admit we feel a little stupid. We aren’t stupid but being in the presence of pure genius we compare ourselves to them and that never ends well. If only there was some way for them to relate to us in terms we could understand then we could feel comfortable around them. We might even be able to have a relationship and exchange our thoughts and our feelings. If only there was a way for them to come down to our level, to “get real”.

I think of God in those terms. There is no way for me to relate to Him on His level, so I look for understanding in terms I can relate to from my own reality. The Bible is truly God’s Word to us, His vehicle of understanding, to relate to us, so I must find a way to relate to those words. The Bible is God’s way of “getting real” with me. How I do that is personal, it is who I am. We are not the same, your reality is your own and how you relate to your surroundings is not the same as mine. For me to tell you how to read and understand the bible would be pointless if I did not encourage you to make it personal. You will not understand if you cannot make it personal. This should be about God relating to you in a personal way, as an individual, meeting your needs, showing you His plans for you, directing your feet down a path He has chosen for you to walk together.

Consider your motivations about studying the bible, or even just reading it. Proper motivation makes things enjoyable. If you don’t want to do a thing, but engage in that activity because of pressure, guilt, or even a sincere sense of duty, you will not get as much out of it as you would if it was something you wanted to do. You are more likely to return to any activity if you found the last experience pleasant. So it should be with your bible study, your quiet time, and your prayer time. Enjoy God.

This is a reprint of advice I gave more than 20 years ago.