Reading our bible helps us to know god

Written by Trevor Hansen

Scripture is God breathed, but even more than that it tells the story of God reaching out to mankind. From creation, to Abram/Abraham1, to Moses and Israel2, to Christ on the cross3. God has been relentlessly seeking us.

I love how we can see God’s desire for closeness with us in the fall in Eden. Adam says “I heard the sound of you in the garden” (Gen. 3:10 NIV). Adam knew what the sound of God in the garden was, he must’ve heard it enough to know it specifically. God spent time with Adam, enough that Adam knew the sound of his footsteps.

Jesus/God does not change from the Old Testament to the New Testament.

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Hebrews 13:8 NIV

Since God does not change, reading the Bible including the Old Testament helps us to see who God is. The New Testament is a continuation of this, the death of Jesus was not a critique of the Old Testament it was a continuation of His work from Creation forward.

“The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him,” Nahum 1:7 NIV

The Lord is a refuge in times of trouble. He is there for us to come to Him when things are rough. He cares for us. These are promises for us, as well as truths as to God’s nature. How does the Lord become a refuge for us, it can come in many ways, but one is through scripture. We can relate to men and women who were trying to live with God through difficult times.

“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.” 1 John 3:1 NIV

God loved us enough to adopt us and make us His children. This is a special love, even more so when we consider that He created us. He created us, then when we went astray he chose to adopt us again.

Scripture is also how we know how God wants us to act in different situations. As we read in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 above, the Scripture thoroughly equips us for every good work. Through scripture we become aware of the good work God expects us to do.

Some questions to reflect on:

Am I willing to devote time each day to reading the Bible? Why or why not?

What do I believe about God? Is this supported by scripture?

In times of trouble what scripture do I cling to? (For me it’s Deuteronomy 31:8)

Reading is more natural to most of us than prayer. Our society is based on reading, and through reading many start to learn about who God is. If you don’t know where to start I would suggest Matthew and to read through the New Testament first, it tends to be easier to understand. Then go back through the Old Testament. I encourage you to read every day to start getting to know God, but don’t stop there. Also get to know God through prayer, meditation, fasting, and the church.

Reading our Bible helps us to know God
Prayer helps us to connect with God
Fasting reminds us to be humble before God
Meditation slows us to hear God
The Church gives us a chance to experience God

1Genesis 17 God’s covenant with Abram 2Exodus 6 God’s promise to Moses about Israel 3John 3:16 the oft quoted reminder that God's love was displayed on the cross.