Why and How Do We Study God’s Word?
December 30th, 2021 • by Lauren Bowerman
How many of you have started a yearly Bible reading plan and not finished it?
*Raises hand*
Maybe it’s a year-long reading plan, a book study, or just a goal of having a regular time in God’s Word. But if you’re like me, maybe at times developing this discipline has been difficult?
For me, it seems, the difficulty comes when I lose sight of the “why” behind reading God’s Word. And the “why” is essential before we attempt to develop any spiritual discipline or practice.
Our theology informs our doxology, and studying God’s Word is just one aspect of how this truth plays out. What we believe about God impacts how and why we will continue to invest in his Word. Knowing what is true about studying his Word informs how we will live that out in an offering of worship to him.
What is True About God’s Word?
So why is God’s Word vital to our faith and life? And how should that influence our study of Scripture?
God’s Word is living and active (Heb. 4:12). So when you don’t feel like reading your Bible or you can’t see evidence that God’s Word is changing you, you can remember its power and trust that the Holy Spirit is faithful to work and bring life through the reading of his Word (John 6:63).
God’s Word reveals God’s heart to you. So when you feel like you aren’t “getting anything useful” out of your study, remember the Word of God was not primarily written to answer your questions or fix your problems—it was written to reveal the heart of God to you, to grow your intimacy with him, and to deepen your faith (Rom. 10:17).
God’s Word is your very life (Deut. 32:47). So when you are discouraged or your time in the Word feels stale or fruitless, keep digging in anyway. Immerse yourself in the Word. Don’t let your feelings rule you. Even when the desire isn’t there, pursue God through his Word.
God wants you to know him. He has made this possible by revealing himself in Scripture. When you are diligent to prioritize his Word, he is faithful to meet you there.
“For it is no empty word for you, but your very life”
– Deuteronomy 32:47
“God wants you to know him. He has made this possible by revealing himself in Scripture. When you are diligent to prioritize his Word, he is faithful to meet you there.”
Why Do We Read God’s Word?
We read God’s Word because it is his revelation of himself to his people. It is one of the most tangible, intimate experiences of knowing God that we have on this side of heaven. If we have been changed by God’s grace through Christ, then we should gladly seek to know him more through the Word he has given us to know him by!
We also read Scripture because it makes us look more like Jesus. This doesn’t happen immediately; in fact it is often a slow process. But if you commit to continually spending time in God’s word, you will be changed. From day to day, from month to month, from year to year… God will be faithful to grow you in the knowledge of him through his Word.
Friends, let us not forget the beauty and power of the Word of God. When mornings feel too early or your eyes feel too heavy or your mind easily wanders… remember the gift of grace it is that God has given us his words to grow and instruct us. Remember that these words are your very life (Deut. 32:47).
“Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.”
– John 6:68-69
“When mornings feel too early or your eyes feel too heavy or your mind easily wanders… remember the gift of grace it is that God has given us his words to grow and instruct us. Remember that these words are your very life.”
How Do We Read God’s Word?
PRAYER
The first step as we approach God’s Word must be prayer. Prayer humbles us, reminding us of who we are and who God is; and it sets the foundation for our time in God’s Word. My husband likes to say “we must pray ourselves into submission” before studying the Word of God. Our hearts are not naturally bent towards God. Left to our own devices we will surely wander towards sin. Our thoughts will naturally drift towards self and fear and pride. Prayer is necessary to humble us and prepare us for our time in the Word.
Prayer is the necessary reorientation of our minds around Christ.
Prayer is the crux of our communication with God.
Prayer helps us to remember and rehearse what is true.
Prayer lays the foundation for our study of the Word of God.
As you pray…
PRAISE God for who he is—a Father who is good, faithful, sovereign, and worthy. Praise him for his revelation of himself to you through his Word. Declare that the Word of God is true, powerful, and authoritative over your life.
REPENT of sin or unbelief. Humble yourself by confessing your brokenness apart from Christ. Acknowledge your need for God and praise him for the restoration of your relationship with him through the blood of Christ.
ASK for particular needs for yourself or others. Do this humbly, acknowledging that God is in control and that he will do what is best, even if that means not answering your request. Proclaim God’s goodness and sovereignty over your needs.
SURRENDER your desires and your life to Jesus. Lay down your hopes and dreams before the Lord, even the things in your life that are good and glorifying to him. Consider what you are holding onto too tightly and open up your hands to the Lord.
This first step demands time. You can’t rush through prayer. Take the time to openly communicate with the Lord and to humbly listen to him.
METANARRATIVE
So now we move on to reading God’s Word. But where do we start?
The Bible is big and can seem intimidating. It was written thousands of years ago under the inspiration of the Spirit, and it has so many stories and books and characters. How do we go about studying it? Which book do we read? And when we pick one, how do we know who the characters are? How do we approach it in a way that isn’t overwhelming?
It’s helpful to first take a big step back. There are 66 books in the Bible. And while the books are written at different times, by different authors, and about different things, they tell a metanarrative, or one big story. So what’s the one big story?
The Bible is the story of a gracious God redeeming a broken people and bringing them into relationship with himself through the sacrifice of his Son, Jesus.
From the very beginning in Genesis, when God sets the stage by creating a perfect world filled with good creation and good people, all in perfect relationship with him…
to just a few chapters later when man rebels against God, but God graciously promises salvation by a coming Redeemer…
to the Old Testament books that highlight man’s rebelliousness juxtaposed with God’s abundant grace in his promise of future rescue from all pain…
to the long-awaited coming of the Messiah, who begins to undo all the brokenness, the promised redemption is finally here when Christ makes a way for broken man to be with God…
to the promises in Revelation of a future with no pain, no brokenness, and best of all, perfect intimacy and relationship with God.
The whole Bible tells this story. All of creation tells this story. Your life tells this story.
Spending time in prayer and understanding the big story of Scripture sets the groundwork for studying the Bible.
“Oftentimes our study of Scripture is clouded by our preconceived opinions, our experience-driven feelings, or our false understanding of who God is.”
The Nitty-Gritty of Scripture Study
Depending on the book you’re studying, there might be a lot of historical and cultural context that is worth diving into in order to gain a perspective for what you’re reading. At the end of this post is a list of resources that might be helpful as you seek to understand context and metanarrative for your study of a passage.
But even after you have all the historical and cultural context, it can still be difficult to approach Scripture in an appropriate way. Oftentimes our study of Scripture is clouded by our preconceived opinions, our experience-driven feelings, or our false understanding of who God is.
That’s why it can be helpful to have guardrails in place to protect ourselves from these things as we read Scripture. For me, I need a method that forces me to slow down and see Scripture for what it is and what it says, not what I want it to say. I need something to help me think faithfully through the passage of Scripture I’m studying.
One way of doing this is the inductive method of Bible study. There’s nothing new or shiny about this method, Christians have been using this method of study for years. What it does is slow you down as you read, forcing you to interpret what is in the text rather than allowing you to put your assumptions and opinions onto the text.
I won’t dive too much into the inductive method here, because Journeywomen has created free Bible study guides that help you do just that. You can find them here:
At the end of the day though, these questions and methods of study are simply tools. There is no “right” method of studying Scripture, so please don’t feel any pressure to use these (or any other study tools!) as you approach God’s Word. All that is necessary as you read God’s Word is a heart posture of humility and submission, and a desire to know him more.
Depending on your life stage, Bible study for you might look like listening to an audio Bible while playing with your kids, doing a book study with the ladies in your church, reading straight through from Genesis to Revelation to gain a bigger understanding of the whole story, or walking through a guided devotional of one topic woven throughout Scripture.
Know that however you choose to read God’s Word this year, if you approach it humbly, seeking to know and love God more, then by his grace and by the power of his Spirit, his Word is able to shape, grow, and change you.
Remember, God’s Word is his revelation of himself to his people. It is a gracious gift that allows us to know him more. It is a means to love him and delight in him more. It is a powerful tool for sanctification towards obedience and righteousness. It is a gift of grace, a glimpse of God, a revelation of truth.
It is our very life.
RELEVANT PODCAST EPISODES:
We have several episodes that address studying the Bible. Simply search “bible study” in the search bar, or check out these specific episodes:
The Story of the Bible in the Old Testament with Dr. Jay Sklar
The Story of the Bible in the New Testament with Dr. Brad Matthews
RESOURCES, BOOKS, AND APPS:
Dwell Bible is a great resource for auditory learners. You can choose from various voices, background music, and translations as you listen to Scripture throughout the day. This is great for repetitive listening and memorization
Women of the Word by Jen Wilkin
BIBLE RECOMMENDATIONS:
TOOLS FOR DIVING DEEP INTO THE WORD (COMMENTARIES, WORD STUDIES, ETC):
Blue Letter Bible website or app – this is an incredible resource for digging into the meanings of the original Greek and Hebrew words (not a necessary part of your Bible study, but can be helpful if you like to nerd out about those things!). It also provides links to commentaries for the verse or passage you’re reading.
Precept Austin has Greek and Hebrew word studies for when you want to take a deep dive into a particular word.
Desiring God’s website has articles and sermons on almost every topic imaginable. Often if I’m looking for further insight into a book or chapter of the Bible, I just check out the available sermons or blogs on that section of Scripture
If you’re studying the Psalms, Charles Spurgeon’s chapter-by-chapter commentaries are incredible
The Bible Project has videos on various topics throughout Scripture, as well as videos on every single book of the Bible. These can be great to watch before you dive into the study of a book, to broaden your understanding of the surrounding context and Scripture.
Lauren Bowerman is a writer and a wife to Matthew. She has called many cities, states, and countries home, and it is this transient lifestyle that led her to receive a Masters in Christian & Intercultural Studies from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Lauren is passionate about writing on the intersection between grief and faith, specifically on how God’s goodness and grace has met her in seasons of depression, doubt, and infertility. You can find her on her blog and on Instagram.
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