I delight in your decrees;
I will not neglect your word.

Psalm 119:16

The Bible is a collection of writing that is the word of God. It was written by people inspired by the Holy Spirit. The word of God is living and active (Hebrews 4:12) and God uses the Bible as a means to communicate with you. That is why reading the same verse at different points in your life will have different personal meaning to you. The Holy Spirit makes the meaning of the verses in the Bible clear to you and guides you in your journey with the Lord (John 14:26).

Reading the Bible should be a delight! Psalm 119 is devoted the wonderfulness of God’s word. It is the longest chapter in the Bible with 176 verses. The word, “delight”, is mentioned 9 times in the NIV version and 10 times in the ESV version. Through the Bible, God can give you encouragement, guidance, and rebuke (2 Timothy 3:16-17). What an awesome resource that the Lord has given us!

Yet, for many Christians, reading the Bible is a challenge. The challenge can take on many forms like not having time to read it, not understanding what is read, or finding it uninteresting. I want to encourage you to continue read the Bible no matter what you feel about it. Why have one less channel to communicate with God?

If you’re struggling to read the Bible, ask yourself the following questions:

1. Why are you not reading the Bible?
   Almost always, it is a matter of the heart and not really having the desire for it. Let’s face it, if you really want something, you’ll do something about it to try to get it. Ask God to help you and give you the desire to know him more. He is the author and perfecter of your faith (Hebrews 12:2)!
   
   
2. Where is your Bible?
   With the internet and smartphones, accessing the Bible has never been easier. However, it is better to have a physical Bible. This allows you to interact with the Bible more freely so you become more familiar with the Bible. You can highlight verses that stand out to you, make notes, and even write reflections in your Bible.
   
   If you’ve had your Bible for a while and feel it’s all marked up and too familiar (ie. boring), get another Bible and start again! You could even try a different translation.
   
   
3. When to read?
   Daily. Just like how you set time aside for your daily activities, set time aside to read the Bible. You don’t need to do it in a quiet place. It could be when you’re commuting to work on the bus or train. It could be during your lunch break. It could be right when you get up. The time and place is up to you. Just make sure you read the Bible some time, some where, daily!
   
   
4. What to read?
   Before you read, pray and ask the Holy Spirit help you to understand what you read. Ask Him for any recommendations either as He might have a particular passage to read. If not, you can read systematically by book, or wherever you end up opening your Bible. Whatever you read, ask the Holy Spirit to guide your reading.

I’ve been trying to read through the Bible in a year, that started last year, and I got stuck. I just lost the desire to read. But you know what, God helps us to know him more (Philippians 2:13) and He has been encouraging me to pick up where I left off. It’s not about how fast you read or how slow you read. It’s about reading with delight!

for I find my delight in your commandments,

    which I love.

Psalm 119:47