I wasn’t yet a Christian, but I was reading a new Bible that someone had given me. When I came to that verse, I heard the voice of Jesus speak to my heart. It was the most beautiful sound I’d ever heard. I didn’t know God had a face, and I certainly didn’t realize He invited me to seek Him. Those words made me feel wanted and made me want more of Him.

Since then, God has given me the priceless gift of hunger and passion for His Word. I seriously think that if tasks didn’t call to me each day, I could sit for hours listening as I study the Bible. The highlight of my life is those early morning hours of quiet time with Jesus. No matter how turbulent circumstances are, or how intense my pain or grief is, without the slightest doubt I know that Jesus is going to meet me face to face with love and truth in those words on those pages. “The very essence of your words is truth” (Psalm 119:160).

Daily I contemplate God’s loving gift: His Word. It is reality breathed by the Spirit into human language (2 Timothy 3:16). It’s the only tangible entity we have that comes from outside this creation, into our chaos, bringing uncreated light into our darkness (Psalm 43:3). We are also breathed–by–God into persons (Genesis 2:7); we’re created for communion with His Word. He desires to speak into us. When we receive Him in His Word, His holy nature lives in us (John 14:21, 23; James 1:21).

Inside an art museum, the person who has studied art history or learned how to draw, paint or sculpt will appreciate and get much more out of their time there than will a person who has never picked up a brush and thinks da Vinci is a teenage mutant ninja turtle. In the same way, the more we learn about the Bible and its history, geography, culture and theology, the more we will delight in our time spent reading and studying its words. A total novice will not find there what a diligent seeker will. But keep seeking and you will encounter not only information, but God Himself.

The Bible is alluring because it reveals to us the nature of God, of our lives, of history and of the universe. Theology is simply thoughts about God, so all of us are theologians. Those thoughts impact what we believe about ourselves and all of reality. We must have theology to comprehend reality; it’s the only way it will make sense. And theology is the basis of why we act the way we do. It is vital that our theology is good and accurate. The Bible is our source for theology. It is the foundation of our thoughts and hopes about what is real, substantive, meaningful, of value and unchanging.

Ask God to give you hunger for His Word. That, and hunger for God Himself will be the most significant things about you. Spending time in the Word will give God access to your life and soul so that you will abide within Him, and He in you. When you trust, love and obey His Word, His presence can transform you into His image for the sake of the world (John 15:10-14).

“I rise before dawn and cry for help; I have put my hope in your word.”

Psalm 119:147 NIV

Questions to ponder

• If you aren’t currently reading the Bible daily, how might you start?
• What are some obstacles that sometimes get in the way of spending time in the Word every day?
• If you find such obstacles in your life, how might you remove them to make your time in God’s Word more consistent?