Stay In The Bible In Hard Seasons - Sweeter than Honey
Stay in the Bible in Hard Seasons
“Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” (Psalm 103:2-5, ESV)
“Trouble and anguish have found me out, but your commandments are my delight.” (Psalm 119:143, ESV)
When I gave birth to my second son, I went through one of the longest periods of not being in the Word I had ever experienced. For the first time in my life, Bible study just couldn’t look like sitting down with God’s Word for thirty uninterrupted minutes. My first son had napped in my arms as I read my Bible every morning, but with two little ones, nap schedules didn’t align and I was so incredibly exhausted. I felt like there was no point in reading my Bible since I couldn’t do it the “right” way. So I quit. I didn’t even realize I had given up until I was months into a life without God’s Word. But life without God’s Word is lifeless. The temptation to quit is always there, lurking, and it’s exactly what the enemy would have us do—because quitting on the Bible means a stagnant relationship with God.
So make a plan for how you’ll get in God’s Word in hard seasons so that you don’t give up the next time you experience one. Even in seasons when we’re exhausted or suffering or distracted or grieving or doubting or our brains just feel like mush, we can still study God’s Word the same way we always do—with the help of the Holy Spirit. And on the days when opening your Bible feels impossible or overwhelming, try one of these two methods.
Start with the Psalms. Just read (or even listen to) one psalm every day. This may be all you have the time or mental capacity to do. That’s okay. Remember that being in God’s Word is about developing a relationship with God, not earning your salvation or proving your worth. If you’re able, try to apply the gather, digest, and grow principles to what you’re reading. Let the emotions and prayers of the psalmist touch your heart, but don’t miss who God is and the glimpses of Jesus woven throughout. As your season settles down or your heart heals, go back to deeper study of God’s Word.
Read verse by verse very slowly. Set aside five minutes a day and read five verses or less.a Give yourself one to five days to complete each principle—gathering, digesting, and growing slowly. This slow plodding of faithfulness will bear fruit over time as you commit to putting Jesus first, even in really challenging seasons.
Remember: The God who created space and time has ordained this hard season in your life to grow your dependence on him. So keep pursuing your relationship with God through his Word. When your circumstances taste bitter, may the message of redemption that permeates the Bible be sweet like honey to your soul. When you don’t know what God is doing, rest in his presence, knowing that he can redeem your circumstances for your good and his glory.
a [1] This concept is adapted from the 3–5 method that we first learned from Abbey Wedgeworth. Read more about this method at Abbey Wedgeworth, “Studying God’s Word When You’re Tired and Busy,” Open the Bible, February 10, 2018, https://openthebible.org/article/studying-gods-word-when-youre-tired-and-busy/.