He Said it Before, He will Say it Again

Have you ever heard a wise saying or seen one of those inspirational quotes and it just stuck with you? And every once in a while you remember it and it just inspires you all over again and maybe in a different way the second time? That is exactly how the Word of God works.

When you are reading God’s Word often you can read one passage and it affect you one way, but then you can read it again the next year and it could have a totally different impact. God’s Word is one of the main ways that God speaks to us because it is what He said in the past and what He still saying to His church.

When I read the Bible, I try to go to a place where it is quiet and there aren’t many distractions so I can focus on what is says. I also pray before I read and ask God to speak to me. Don’t force God to speak to you, just be content with anything you learn.

In addition to just reading and asking God to speak to you, I would suggest that you keep a journal and ask questions. That may sound weird, but just do it! I have been doing this for a while and it has helped me so much. I have learned so much more than I ever did before. Here are some questions that you could ask.

1. What does that mean?

2. How does this scripture apply to me today?

3. Where is Jesus in this scripture passage? Many of the stories in the Bible have different characters whose lives have events that line up with Jesus’. This is called foreshadowing if it is in the Old Testament. I would suggest looking up foreshadowing in relation to the story of Joseph. This might help you see where Jesus is. Another great way would be to just ask God to tell you, because He was the one who wrote the book. (Jesus is all throughout the Old and New Testament)

4. Where did this event take place?

5. Is this person related to Jesus somehow? All the way back to Adam, Jesus is part of an amazing lineage that only God himself could orchestrate. See if you can find out if the person you are reading about was in that family line.

The more questions you ask, the more you get out of the scripture you are reading. You could also just write down things that you found interesting about that scripture passage. If you have not done Bible studying on your own before, don’t overdo it. Just start with a couple of verses and then go onto chapters later.

And finally, I have found that the best way to make my Bible study truly impactful is talking to someone else about it. This could be God, or it could be a friend. If you are not used to praying, you could start out talking to a friend and then transition to praying about it.

You will find that the more you pray and ask God to speak to you, the more you ask questions, the more you write down those interesting facts, and the more you talk about it, the more you will receive from your Bible study.

I found that a lot of the times after I was studying the Bible as I described above, everyone in my life would bring those stories up and they had no idea I was reading that in my Bible. But that’s just how cool God is, He will continue to remind us repeatedly what He has said to us. I feel like when that happens it is really Him confirming that He really was speaking to me the whole time I was reading.

This is not a guarantee, but if you do it, not because you have to, but because you want to know God more and hear Him speak more, I believe that you will find what you are looking for.

If you have been reading the Bible for a while now and feel like you aren’t getting anything out of it, maybe it is time to check your intentions. Are you really reading it because you want to get to know God more or because you feel like you have to, to fulfill your duties as a good “Christian”? If you are struggling with checking off the boxes of being a good Christian, my post “Liberality of Grace” https://www.knowinghisvoice.com/post/liberality-of-grace could help you. I hope that these ideas will help you in your journey to hear the voice of God.