Between You And God #20

Dear God, I’ve started reading the Bible, but it’s confusing. If you want me to read it, why is it so hard to understand?

We mostly get e-mail or texts, so it’s exciting when we get an actual letter or a card or a package in the mail. It says, I care! If you speak only English, your family and friends won’t write to you in Spanish. They’ll write to you in English because they want you to understand what they have to say. If you don’t understand what they’re saying, you can ask them to explain and they will!

God cares about you too. He wants you to understand the things he has written in the Bible, his personal letter to you. It helps if you read a version that sounds like the language you speak rather than one with funny-sounding phrases or outdated language. Translations such as the New Living Translation are truly the Bible but put in words that sound just like you talk. Don’t just pick and choose little parts to read—choose a book of the Bible and read it through from beginning to end. How much of a letter would you understand if you read only a few sentences here and there?

The Bible isn’t a text message, something short to be quickly read and easily understood. It takes time and attention and quiet. You have to focus. Keep your attention on God, and he will make things clear. If you still don’t understand, it’s okay to ask for help. Sometimes God will make the meaning clear in your heart. Sometimes he will use someone else to show you. He is faithful to help you understand what he wants you to know.

Hey—you’ve got mail!

How about You?

How often do you read your Bible, compared with text messages, e-mails, or other books? Whom can you ask for help in understanding what God has to say to you in his Word?

God Says . . .

Open my eyes to see the wonderful truths in your instructions. Psalm 119:18