I was sitting down for my regular time of devotion when the thought occurred to me: For almost all of my life, reading Scripture has been an exercise in recitation. Until that moment, I had never invited God to read His book to me instead of me reading it to Him.
Suddenly, my old burgundy Bible transformed. Each and every word leapt from the page and invigorated my faith like never before. So what changed? I began seeing God’s Word as pure life instead of just flicking through its pages in haste, trying to get my devotions out of the way.
Since then, my prayer has been for people across the world to have the same experience and dive deep into the living pages of God’s Word daily—and that they’ll discover the Word’s power to search us and know our hearts, like the psalmist describes in Psalm 139:23–24.
Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
For this to become a reality in your life, you must begin to listen with all that’s in you, paying full attention. You must learn how to fight distraction, because the devil is always seeking to distract you and me from the truths God wants us to hear.
Living by the Word isn’t a rote, academic exercise. It’s listening to God with your heart! So you can start today by simply praying, “Lord, help me, my mind is scattered. Focus me on you right now.”
That’s not too much for us to ask of Him, and it’s certainly not too much for Him to ask of us!