Here’s a tried and tested daily Bible reading methodology that I’ve successfully used for three decades. Or for those of you who go back a few years, here’s how to have a daily “Quiet Time” with God:
Prepare:
- Thank God for the opportunity to meet with Him
- Ask forgiveness for sins of omission or commission
Perimeter:
- Look at the passage in context, i.e. study what comes before and after the text you’re reading
- Avoid reading anything into the passage that may distort the intended meaning
Paraphrase:
- Write out the passage using words that would enable a child to understand it
Pulverise:
- Ponder on every phrase and sentence
- Find the main point
- Look at opening and closing statements
- Identify unique words
- Locate points of emphasis
- Pay attention to historical, cultural, social, political, or economic factors
Personalise:
- Apply the passage to yourself
- Beware of the paralysis of analysis (sometimes we become critical analysts of God’s Word rather than open hearted recipients)
- Ask, “What does God want me to learn?” and “How does God want me to respond?”
Praise:
- Give God the honour and glory that are His due
Prayer:
- Pray using the passage as the point of departure
- Repeat the Word back to God
- Ask God to help you be obedient to His Word
Practice:
- Put into practice what you learnt from God today
- Share biblical insights with friends in your community of faith
[Based on “How to Have a Quiet Time”, Seize the Day: Meditations for the Year, 2002 by Lawson Murray]
© Scripture Union Canada 2013
A missionary working on Bible translation in Africa had difficulty finding a word in the local dialect for “obedience”. One day as the missionary was walking through a village his dog wandered off. When the missionary noticed the dog’s absence he whistled for it to come to him and, hearing the whistle, the dog rushed to his side. An elderly local who was sitting by the roadside was impressed by the dog’s obedience and exclaimed, “Mui adem delegau ge!” which literally translated means, “Dog yours, ear is only”. In other words, “Your dog is all ear”. This gave the translator the word he needed for obedience, i.e. “To be all ear”.