July-August 1999
Pressure-Free Bible Study
by J. Michael Feazell
| Many Christians find Bible study more in the realm of a chore or duty than a pleasure or a joy. Maybe we could try a different approach |
As Christians, we are keenly aware of our need to submit to the guidance and instruction of the Bible. We realize the importance of spending time in Bible study if we are to know the Bible and find it of practical value to us. Still, many Christians find Bible study more in the realm of a chore or duty than a pleasure or a joy.
Maybe it's that frightening word study that trips us up. Study may remind us of textbooks, school, memorizing facts, cramming for tests, deadlines and the too-many-pages-too-little-time frenzy. For many North American Christians, the word study in Bible study can tend to have a negative connotation.
Perhaps some of us tend to neglect Bible study simply because the idea of study and its association with things like grades and passing and failing make the whole concept seem too much to cope with.
But Bible study is not preparation for a test. It is not another of the endless ways in which we must "prove ourselves" to a world ready to condemn us when we fail to measure up. It is not a requirement for getting a passing grade in the Judgment, a way to keep others from getting the jump on you in church politics nor a quota you must meet to feel secure in God's mercy.
New Approach
May I suggest a different approach to Bible study? Think of the best novel you have ever read. Think of how you read it. You were relaxed. You read at a comfortable pace. You felt no particular pressure to get finished by a certain time, to report to anybody, to speed up or to slow down.
You probably reread a few sections you especially liked or that you didn't quite understand. You may have stopped sometimes to reflect. You identified with certain characters. You got into the story -- completely pressure free. You experienced pleasure, joy, excitement, relaxation and rest.
Maybe you are not a reader, but prefer movies instead. How do you watch a good movie? You relax. You let it work on you. You let it do the talking. You reflect on it. You think about it. There is no pressure to hurry, no pressure to get done. Whether it is your favorite book or your favorite movie, you hate for it to end.
What if we were to approach the Bible that way? Just to let it feed us? We could set aside our baggage -- our preconceived ideas, explanations and notions -- and just let the Bible speak to us. We could hear what it has to say.
We could ponder it, think about it. Without rushing. Without pressure. Just asking God to let us bask in the sunlight, to soak in the relaxing mineral bath of the Scriptures. To let it teach us, form us, shape our attitudes, our thinking, our values, our passions.
Communion
It is interesting how interchangeable prayer and Bible reading can be. God speaks to us through the Bible, and the Bible can trigger in our hearts things we need to talk to God about.
He wants us to know him and have close communion with him. He wants us to pray to him and him to pray through us. Bible reading can become an avenue into intimate communion with God.
Wouldn't it be great to just feel free to "lose ourselves" in the Scriptures, just like we might lose ourselves in some engrossing novel or hobby magazine?
Why not try it? Maybe with a new mental approach, Bible "study" can cease being a chore and become more like a refreshing spiritual "workout, hot tub and rubdown" with our loving Father, the master Trainer of the universe.
J. Michael Feazell, D. Min., is executive editor of Plain Truth. He also serves as executive editor of Experiencing the Word -- A Daily Devotional Journey Through the Bible -- available through Plain Truth Ministries.