Do you ever get overwhelmed when it comes to reading the Bible? Do you ever worry that you’re going to pick the ‘wrong’ passage or devotional to read for your daily study time?
This happens to me all the time!
Over the last couple of months, I have especially struggled with finding the motivation and desire to read my Bible each day simply because of these worries. There have been many days that I just haven’t read my Bible because I’ve just been too overwhelmed with the decision of choosing what to read. The indecisiveness and perfectionism in my spiritual life—among other personal factors—have often left me feeling depressed, lonely, and almost burnt out at times.
In this season of spiritual depression and anxiety, I have sought the advice of Christian authors, speakers, and pastors in their books and podcasts [link to those here]. And while I uncovered a lot of sound, biblical advice, I still have struggled to find a consistent routine for reading my Bible and joy in studying God’s Word.
The biggest culprit for this lack of enthusiasm and desire, I believe, is the fear of ‘doing it wrong.’ I’m scared that if I don’t read what I’m ‘supposed to read’ that day, then I will somehow fail God. I’m afraid that if I don’t choose the ‘right’ passage to read, I’ll somehow miss what God wants to tell me that day.
This fear, I believe, stemmed from a piece of advice I’ve heard a few times: before you dive into your Bible reading for the day, stop and pray asking the Holy Spirit to guide you to what He wants you to read.
Now, I’m not saying that this piece of advice is bad; on the contrary, I think it is a good reminder to keep prayer as a central part of your daily Bible reading and daily pursuit of God. It’s just that personally, I struggle to remember to include prayer as a part of my Bible-reading habit. And so I let the guilt of not always praying before I read my Bible stop me from actually spending time each day to read God’s Word—this is an example of how the devil can take or twist a positive thing into a negative thing in order to try and draw us away from God.
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.
James 4:7-8a (ESV)
In my fear, I have forgotten that God is big enough to speak to me despite my decisions. No matter what passage in the Bible I study, no matter what devotional I read, God can still use it to impact my life. He can still use it to show me a new aspect of His character.
In fact, the greatest reason for reading and studying the Bible is just that: to learn about, understand, and get to know the character of God. If we have chosen to believe in God and commit our lives in service to Him, then we must take the time to develop a relationship with Him.
If we are to serve Him as our King, love Him as our Father and friend, and run to Him as our Comforter and Advocate, then we must learn to trust Him. Trust comes with building a relationship.
How do we develop relationships with the people around us? Well, we get to know who they are by spending time with them—learning about them, talking with them, and asking them questions. This is exactly how we build our relationship with God! We read His Word (the Bible) to get to know who He is and also to spend time with Him. We pray to talk to God and to ask Him questions, and we also do it to spend time in His presence.
So, can we really choose the ‘wrong’ part of Scripture (the Bible) to read when sit down with our Bibles each day?
I would say no, we can’t choose ‘wrong’ when it comes to spending time with God. This is an epiphany that I had while sitting in the church service last week.
As I said before, no matter what I (you) choose to read in the Bible, God can and will use it to feed me (you) spiritually. He will bless me (you) with it, challenge me (you) with it, and reveal a little bit more of Himself to me (you) through it.
So hear this as I am speaking to myself: whatever you do, however you choose to study the Bible, don’t ever let the fear of being wrong stop you from reading God’s Word!
It’s going to be hard to overcome that fear—I’ve been struggling for months now with it—but, if you ask the Holy Spirit for strength and trust that He can and will provide it, He will help you through it. God will honor your desire to read His Word, no matter how or when you do it.
Know this: there is no right way, time, or place to read the Bible. The most important thing is that you do read it.Without reading and studying God’s Word (and also without praying), you will have a difficult time developing a relationship with God, and you will have a hard time spiritually maturing.
So let’s come together as we navigate the struggle of finding the desire, motivation, and joy in studying God’s Word. Join me in prayer as I ask the Holy Spirit to grant me (and you!) the strength and desire to read the Bible and the courage to give myself (yourself) grace when I (you) fall short of my (your) imperfect expectations.
If you’re feeling burnt out and unmotivated with your current Bible reading strategy try something new! Reading your Bible and spending time with Jesus will look different in each season of your life…and that is OKAY!
Here are a few suggestions (check out my Pinterest board for more ideas!):
- Bible journaling.
- Scripture writing.
- Listening to the Bible on the YouVersion app (as you go for a walk or as you drive, as you cook a meal or bake a dessert, as you fall asleep at night or get ready in the morning, etc.).
- Find a devotional or Bible study book (link to a few of my favorites/ones that I’m currently rotating).
- If you normally try to read your Bible in the morning, switch it up and try reading it before you go to bed for the next week instead—and see what happens!
- If you’re struggling to make it a consistent habit, try reading your Bible with a healthy habit that you already have in place (like eating breakfast, getting ready for bed, etc.).
- Some days, maybe your time with Jesus will just be prayer and that’s okay. If you don’t know what to pray, try telling Him all the things you are grateful for today.
- Here’s a gratitude challenge that I was given at camp this past summer: at the top of every hour, tell God and/or whoever you’re with what you’re thankful for over the last hour. Then at the end of the day, look back and evaluate how practicing gratitude every hour made you feel!
- Follow a 365-day Bible reading plan (or any plan) and answer these questions:(1) Is there a verse that sticks out to you? Why? (2) What does this passage/verse tell you about God? (3) What does this passage/verse tell you about the people in it [take time to understand the cultural and historical context]? (4) How does it relate to the world today?
So, what step (or steps) are you going to take today to help renew your joy for reading the Bible and spending time with Jesus??
Like newborn infants, desire the pure milk of the word [Or desire pure spiritual milk], so that by it you may grow up into your salvation, if you have tasted that the Lord is good.
1 Peter 2:2-3 (CSB)
“Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
2 Corinthians 12:7b-10 (NIV, emphasis added)
Eternally Planted 