The other day, a reader asked me about how I managed to stay passionate about the Word of God and focus on Scripture.

It got me thinking because while reading the Word is part of my daily rhythm now, it hasn’t always been the case.

There have been long seasons where dust gathered on my Bible and guilt accumulated in my heart. I remember New Year resolutions which included goals like, “Read my Bible every day.” Like most New Year resolutions, by about the 23^rd of February, they started disappearing quicker than the bag of Lindt truffles at my house.

I’m not sure exactly when things started to change, but somewhere along the way, my “getaway with God” became a delight and not a drudgery. Instead of time in the Word being something I fast-forwarded through, it became something I looked forward to. And before you assume that I’m either super-spiritual or exceptionally braggy, let me quickly tell you that the primary reason I go back to Scripture is I’m woefully needy and God is wondrously gracious in drawing me to Himself.

God has simply revealed to me my absolute, dire need for Him. And what better place to find Him than on the pages of Scripture where God Himself speaks to me? That’s really it: recognizing my aching desperation and the truth that only He can fill it.

When you and I kneel before Him in a posture of humility and even helplessness, He speaks personally and powerfully. The Bible becomes more than a set of rules, rituals, and random stories about people who crossed seas and consumed food from heaven. Yes, it’s a story. But it’s a powerful story of God’s redeeming love and how He pulls us into that narrative even though we don’t deserve it.

Earlier this week, my schedule was incredibly fairly packed. And you know what slipped through the cracks? My time with God. All-day long, I kept hearing in my spirit that I need to go to Him. And all day long, something “came up” — things that I could have put aside for later, but they seemed so exciting, so urgent, so full of promise to satisfy me, so full of claims that they would make me feel significant and worthy.

I found every excuse to postpone my time with Him even though I was running on empty. I even checked Instagram that day and an influencer I follow started her story with, “Have you had your quiet time yet? If not, go and spend time with God!” and still I was like, “Yup, I will. In a minute. After I scroll through this feed.”

Finally, at about 10:45 p.m., bleary-eyed and half asleep, I decided to pull out my Bible.

And the very first word I read was this: Come.

“Come.”

The God of the universe had been gently ushering me into His presence all day that day. And I had willfully ignored Him. And yet, He invited me back with a simple, “Come.” He hadn’t yanked my hand and dragged me into His presence. He had waited patiently.

I love entertaining people at our home and we host friends and family almost every weekend. But you know what I do if someone doesn’t respond to an invitation? After a couple of tries, I give up on them. My walls go up. I stop asking them over. But here was the God of all creation, asking me again and again, to come to Him. He was making Himself vulnerable on my behalf. Not because He needed anything I could bring to the table, but because He knew I needed Him.

This was the passage I read that night from Isaiah 55.

Come, all you who are thirsty,
come to the waters;
and you who have no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without cost.
Why spend money on what is not bread,
and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,
and you will delight in the richest of fare.
Give ear and come to me;
listen, that you may live.

Wow. I had, quite literally, spent my money and time and effort that day on a bunch of things that would not satisfy me, instead of giving ear to God and eating from the Bread of Life and drinking from the fountain that would not run dry.

Friend, if you struggle with reading your Bible regularly, know that you’re not alone. But also know that God invites you into His presence and says, “Come” because He knows just how much you need Him and how nothing else can satisfy you.

I’ll follow up this topic with a second part next week because many of us like practical steps on how we can get into the routine of reading Scripture. But, for now, I would encourage you to clear the clutter, to be still, and hear His voice as He beckons you to “Come”.

 

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