Hearing God’s Word

Intro

The goal of reading the Bible is to hear God’s voice and to deepen your relationship with him. But how do we listen to God by reading a book? In this guide we’ll unpack a simple process.

Share: What has been your experience with reading the Bible?

Exploring the Scriptures

Psalm 1 | What is the person like who delights and meditates on God’s word. Note: for David, the “law” referred to first books of the Bible – so just think “the Bible” when you read this.

 Luke 24:13-35 | Imagine having Jesus himself give you a Bible study! What was the great theme that Jesus unpacked as he explained the Scriptures to them (see verse 27)?

John 16:12-14 | What role of the Holy Spirit is talked about here?

Notice, when the Spirit guides us into all truth, he also shows us Jesus (“He will glorify me”).

How to become friends with Jesus through the Bible

READ – Read your Bible passage through slowly, taking it all in. You might read it through more than once. If it’s a story, try imagining the scene. What do you see, hear, and feel?

CONTEMPLATE – Spend time reflecting on what you’ve read. What jumps out to you? What confuses you? What does it reveal about God? You might write down some notes as you do this.

LISTEN – Ask yourself this question: What is God saying to me through what I’ve read? Remember, God’s Spirit is with you, guiding you as you study the Bible.

PRAY – What do you want to say to God in response to what you’ve read and thought about? Spend some time telling him through prayer. It’s a relationship, so speak to God as a friend.

THE GIFT OF JESUS

What a marvellous thought that the God who created the galaxies wants to talk to us. In giving us the gift of the Bible, Jesus gives us the gift of himself. It’s an invitation to know him more!

Use the above guide to unpack Psalm 19. (Similar to what we saw in Psalm 1, the terms “law”, “statues”, “precepts”, “commands”, “fear”, and “decrees”, all refer to the Scriptures)

Living It

Discuss: When we study the Bible, how might we choose where to read?

One helpful approach is to choose a book of the Bible that interests you and to go through it, start to finish, one bite-sized passage each day.

Challenge: How might you put what we’ve discussed today into practice?