(This article follows on from my previous post titled “Why should I find time for God?“)
I once asked a friend of mine how he finds time to read. He said he makes a habit of just reading three minutes a day, and he does that consistently. I first thought, who would read for just three minutes? But by doing that religiously, he was actually able to cover a lot of reading over time. I reflected on my own use of time: I wouldn’t think twice about watching an episode of “The Office”, yet twenty minutes of devotional often feels like a stretch.
“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable in your sight,
O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.”
Psalm 19:14
Do verses like Psalm 19:14 feel to you like a glorious yet far-fetched goal?
Here are some suggestions that might help you find time to read God’s word.
Find a time and place that works best, and stick with it.
I find I often fail to stick with a plan to read the Bible because of one of the following reasons: I’m either over-ambitious, distracted, or have chosen a less-than-ideal time of the day to read God’s word. First I would encourage you to ask yourself this:
What’s the time of the day and place where I can read the Bible with the least distraction?
This might vary from person to person, you might simply not be a morning person.
How long can I read in each session and still keep my habit sustainable?
Perhaps just start with ten minutes, but stick with it.
Pray for God’s help.
Secondly, and more importantly, we need God’s help. If you are like me, you might find that some days are just hard work. I have found that it helps to ask for the Spirit to help us.
“Grant me the understanding and love for your word”,
“Help me as my heart often grows cold and I am often distracted”.
These are some examples on how to pray.
I pray that in time you will also find that finding the time to read God’s word is really worthwhile. Indeed, as the Psalmist says,
“How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!”
(Psalm 119:103)
