QUESTION AND ANSWER
"I find daily bible reading very dry. Any suggestions?
There are a number of matters bound up in this very important question.
First of all, I have to say that few people will find the Bible exciting and stimulating unless they have a deep relationship with God, and one which is current and alive. If the Lord is still a distant ‘Him’ to you it may be that, first of all, you need to get to know him as a ‘You’ so that the relationship between you and God is close and personal, like that of a child and a father. Too many churchgoers are following the Lord at a distance and do hot know him for themselves. Therefore their attempts to pray are frustrating.
Secondly, we also have to recognise that it is really almost impossible to pray of, even though we are real Christians who have a relationship with God, we also have a quarrel on with Him. Usually this is due to some sin and our determination to go on doing what is wrong. Sometimes it is due to some bitterness which we nourish because we object to the way in which God has treated us. This needs to be sorted out if we are to pray effectively and read the bible with profit.
The fact is that bible reading is not just an intellectual exercise but it is an expression of an 'I-Thou' relationship and we need to get that right first of all. Having said that, it may be that you are trying to read too much scripture each day. I find that even though I read some long passages each day in my Quiet Time as a preparation for the reading at Morning Prayer, it is often just a brief phrase or two which actually lifts my soul to God. Look for the sentences which speak to your situation on that day and then turn it into prayer. Remember that your Bible reading, important as it is, is meant to lead you to the Lord in prayer. Of course we read the Bible to learn ABOUT God, but most of all, we read it to lead us TO Him.
John Pearce is Rector of Limehouse in the diocese of London.