The Scripture Union way of reading, or listening to, the Bible provides a helpful pattern for a regular meeting with God in his Word.
The Scripture Union way to read or listen to the Bible:
You might find the following steps helpful when you read any passage of the Bible:
Pray that God will speak to you as you read his Word and that his Holy Spirit will help you to understand and respond to what you read.
Read or listen to the Bible passage, perhaps several times, listening for what God is saying to you.
Explore the meaning of the Bible passage, meditating on it. These questions may help you:
- How does this passage help us to understand and relate to God?
- How does this passage help us to understand ourselves, our situation, our relationships?
- Is there some promise or warning or example we need to notice?
You may find it helpful to turn these questions into prayers. Here are some suggestions:
- Lord, show me yourself in your Word; help me to discover you in new ways.
- Lord, your Word is like a mirror in which we see ourselves. Show me myself in your Word today.
- Lord, help me to live by the truth you show me - to praise you, or trust you, to say sorry to you, to let you change me.
Respond to what God has shown you in his Word. This response may be worship or repentance, a change of direction in your life, prayer for yourself or others. Look for opportunities to share your Bible discoveries in helpful ways with others.
