You know when something just hits you deep in your gut — it’s personal. That drop in your stomach. Tears pop up without warning. You can’t believe it. What was just said really hit home in your heart.
Sometimes it’s a bad thing. But, sometimes it’s a good thing. Either way — it’s personal.
When’s the last time your Bible did that to you?
Yes, your Bible. God’s Word. The LIVING Word. If it’s been a while (or maybe never), may I challenge you to change how you are reading the Bible? Would you be willing to try for a new experience with God?
In three steps, you can experience a personal connection with God. Are you ready?
- Step 1: Ask God to reveal Himself to you through the words you are about to read. Ask God to show you something He wants to teach you about Himself and about you and your life. Ask Him to help you make a personal connection to Him through the Bible in your hands.
- Step 2: Take a moment to get the overall gist of the passage you are reading in your Bible. Who wrote it? Who was it written for originally? Why was it written? What was going on when this passage was written? And, what are some of the main ideas.
- Step 3: Ask God again to show you how this applies to you. Then, read the passage again, but put yourself as the main human character. Change the pronouns to match yours: I, me, my, she, her, etc. Even if the writing is plural, put yourself in those shoes, like the words are written directly to you. If the passage uses a name of a person or people group, use your name instead. Read it like someone is talking directly to YOU.
One quick disclaimer and then I want to show you how God made something personal for me, just this morning!
Disclaimer: this approach works great for a large portion of Scripture, but maybe not every passage. Some passages are meant to record the history of God’s people or the setting of time or place. It doesn’t work ALL the time, but I promise you it will work often enough to change your relationship with Almighty God, to bring awe and delight to your Bible reading, to invigorate your prayer life. Just try it!
Ok, here’s how it worked for me this morning in Psalm 21, which was written by King David for the choir director to be a worship songs. Read Psalm 21 (NASB) below:
Lord, in Your strength the king will be glad,
And in Your salvation how greatly he will rejoice!
2 You have given him his heart’s desire,
And You have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah
3 For You meet him with the blessings of good things;
You set a crown of pure gold on his head.
4 He asked for life from You,
You gave it to him,
Length of days forever and ever.
5 His glory is great through Your salvation,
Splendor and majesty You place upon him.
6 For You make him most blessed forever;
You make him joyful with the joy of Your presence.
7 For the king trusts in the Lord,
And through the faithfulness of the Most High he will not be shaken.
8 Your hand will find all your enemies;
Your right hand will find those who hate you.
9 You will make them as a fiery oven in the time of your anger;
The Lord will swallow them up in His wrath,
And fire will devour them.
10 You will eliminate their descendants from the earth,
And their children from among the sons of mankind.
11 Though they intended evil against You
And devised a plot,
They will not succeed.
12 For You will make them turn their back;
You will take aim at their faces with Your bowstrings.
13 Be exalted, Lord, in Your strength;
We will sing and praise Your power.
As main ideas, I thought of God as the source of all the good things in this world, and as the source to bring justice to all those who do evil. And then I read it again, like this, with inflection and emphasis, like reading it on a stage – powerfully spoken as a declaration:
Lord, in Your strength I will be glad,
And in Your salvation how greatly I will rejoice!
2 You have given me my heart’s desire,
And You have not withheld the request of my lips. Selah (which means pause to reflect)
3 For You meet me with the blessings of good things;
You set a crown of pure gold on my head.
4 I asked for life from You,
You gave it to me,
Length of days forever and ever.
5 My glory is great through Your salvation,
Splendor and majesty You place upon me.
6 For You make me most blessed forever;
You make me joyful with the joy of Your presence.
Even if I don’t currently feel like I am joyful or blessed, I declare this as true over my life and my upcoming day ahead. Obviously, I don’t have a crown of pure gold on my head all day, but the idea that God thinks of me as His crowned, royal bride, who walks with Him in glory forever and ever, can get a gal through a hard day – am I right?
Let’s take the next portion, which may look like it doesn’t apply to us at first glance, and open your thinking a bit. We don’t like in a war-torn country like David did, but we sure do have evil and terrible things happening in our world. Our “enemies” look different and may act different than David’s did, but they are enemies of God (and us) just the same. In our times, then enemies may be divorce, addiction, abuse, social media, gender confusion, human trafficking, etc., but remembering that GOD will bring justice – eventually – to everything on this earth can help us navigate our lives. Read the next part with your “enemies” in mind and emphasize the words You, Your, and the Lord, like this:
7 For I trust in the Lord,
And through the faithfulness of the Most High I will not be shaken.
8 Your hand will find all your enemies;
Your right hand will find those who hate you.
9 You will make them as a fiery oven in the time of your anger;
The Lord will swallow them up in His wrath,
And fire will devour them.
10 You will eliminate their descendants from the earth,
And their children from among the sons of mankind.
11 Though they intended evil against You
And devised a plot,
They will not succeed.
12 For You will make them turn their back;
You will take aim at their faces with Your bowstrings.
13 Be exalted, Lord, in Your strength;
I will sing and praise Your power.
When I read this with a focus on GOD’s strength and power, I am less afraid of what this world will throw at me and my family. When I lay all the hurts and injustices we’ve endured at the throne of God, where HE will enact HIS justice, I can focus on grace and forgiveness.
Once I see how a passage applies to me, or when I identify what God wants me to learn or focus on, I make notes in the margin, circle words, underline phrases. If it’s a big, overwhelming moment, I grab a paper and write out what God showed me. Sometimes, those notes turn into prayers. Sometimes, into blog posts like this one. But always into something between me and God.
Shifting how you read Bible passages, making them personal and applicable, is life-changing. It’s definitely worth the time to read things twice when you feel the presence of God during your Bible reading!
If this seems a bit crazy to you (as it once did for me), I dare you to try it. Just try it with a sincere heart, seeking out God. He’ll meet you in those pages. You’ll find Him in those stories. You’ll begin to hear His whisper in your heart. If you have questions, feel free to reach out me here.
Now, if you want to hear me read this passage out loud, showing how to make it personal, click on my social media buttons below. Tomorrow, I’m going to post a reel about what this sounds like in my head ( : come and find it on Instagram or Facebook.
Also, please feel free to forward and share this with your friends who could use a powerful confirmation of God in their lives (see sharing buttons below).
See you soon!
Peace to you and yours, ~Kim