Information Please - Angelina Grimke

1805–79

Angelina Grimke was an amazing woman. Born into a Southern slave-owning family in 1805, she eventually moved up north to join the abolitionist movement. Her antislavery stance was very much rooted in her Christian faith. When she spoke out against slavery to crowds of both men and women, she found herself criticized by those who thought that women had no legal or spiritual right to advise men. Soon Angelina was part of the suffrage movement, also.

An educated woman, Angelina cherished her ability to read because it helped her form opinions about things. She also believed in reading before she went to God in prayer. “I have not placed reading before praying because I regard it more important,” she said, “but because, in order to pray aright, we must understand what we are praying for.”

In today’s world, it’s easy to form opinions from sound bites on TV, radio talk-show hosts, or headlines linked to our social media pages. We may have a passing knowledge of many trivial subjects, but if we’re honest, much of our data is drawn from unsupported conversation threads on the web. Information has never been more readily at our fingertips, yet becoming truly informed from reliable sources seems to be something we have little time for.

This can also be true with spiritual knowledge. We can easily form opinions about spiritual matters in a similar, never-get-past-the-headline manner. We know what our friends in Bible study think. We know what the Christian talk-show host thinks. Their opinions may be worth taking into consideration, but before we form our own opinions, it’s best to figure out what God thinks.

That’s where Angelina’s reading-before-praying strategy comes in. The Bible is sitting right there on your coffee table or waiting to be opened on your phone or tablet. Read it. Inform yourself from God’s Word before heading into prayer to ask for further guidance. It’s not more important than prayer, but as Angelina pointed out, it helps to understand what you’re praying for.

What spiritual matter are you trying to form an opinion about? Find key Bible passages that pertain to the subject, read them carefully, and then make it a matter of prayer.

Open my eyes to see the wonderful truths in your instructions.

Psalm 119:18