How do you personally study the Bible? If the scripture reading for this particular day for example was 2 Chron 6:1-42, and what "God" Himself "only" wanted you to "get" was up to verse 14 and stop...do you have a problem with that, or are you religiously following a discipline that you have set up? There is a woman I have known for fifty years who sits in the same chair in the same room at the same time of the day and reads the same program and the same reading materials and she calls it her devotions. There has never been an outward sign of her maturity both in the word and in life as she religiously follows through with her religious duties fixing the window in the church entry each month and being the one who opens the service and teaches Sunday school. "church jobs" and religious practices, traditions, and such can get old, dry and never change us if we are not open to change. Let's take this scripture I am using for example. This is today's reading for me but God's Spirit stopped me right at that verse I mentioned, and the words in blue are the words the Holy Spirit wanted to show me:
12 Solomon stood in front of the Lord's altar. He was standing
in front of all the people of Israel who were gathered together.
Then Solomon spread his hands and arms out. 13 Solomon had made
a bronze platform 5 cubits long, 5 cubits wide and 3 cubits and
placed it in the middle of the outside yard. Then he stood on
the platform and kneeled in front of all the people of Israel
who were gathered together. Solomon spread his hands out toward
the sky. The man was King and the first thing he did was make a platform so he would be seen by the people, up and over the people. The second thing the king did was to put it in the middle so all could see and then the third thing is "in front of all who were gathered there", he knelt and spread his hands out toward the sky.
If you stop and meditate on his posture, on the first thing he did as King with this new house of God he built,,, and just meditate on that before you "read" his prayer to God, then read his prayer in parts to have a understanding about how he prayed to God and compare it with how you pray. Myself, I begin praying by exalting God and His sovereignty and praising and thanking Him for example. Don't be ritualistic about study but in your heart, make it known to your soul, that you will love the Lord your God with all you are, and His word He exalted above His name, so go ahead,, now and read the prayer but stop where the Holy Spirit shows you a point. I will make the words blue that He showed me how this king mentioned the covenant relationship with God and what he spoke of "personally" for me to use as an example:
14 Solomon said: "Lord God of Israel, there is no god
like you in heaven or on earth. You keep your agreement of love
and kindness. You keep your agreement with your servants if they
live right with all their hearts and obey you. 15 You kept your
promise to your servant David. David was my father. You made a
promise with your mouth. And today you have made that promise
come true with your hands. 16 Now, Lord God of Israel, keep
your promise to your servant David. This is what you promised:
You said, 'David, you will not fail to have a man from your
family sit on Israel's throne in front of me. This will happen
only if your sons are careful in what they do. They must obey my
law the same as you have obeyed my law.' 17 Now, Lord God of
Israel, let your promise come true. You gave this promise to
your servant David. 18 "But we know that you, God, will not
really live on the earth with people. Heaven and the highest of
heavens cannot hold you! And we know that this temple I built
cannot hold you! 19 But pay attention to my prayer and the
times I beg for mercy. Lord my God, listen to me calling out to
you! Listen to the prayer that I am praying to you. I am your
servant. 20 I pray that your eyes will be open to look at this
temple day and night. You said you would put your name in this
place. May you hear my prayers when I pray while I look at this
temple. 21 Hear my prayers, and the prayers your people Israel
pray. Hear our prayers while we pray looking at this temple.
Hear from where you live in heaven. And when you hear our
prayers, forgive us. 22 "A person might be accused of doing
something wrong against another person. When that happens, the
accused person will have to use your name to promise {that he is
innocent}. When he comes to make the promise in front of your
altar in the temple, 23 then hear from heaven. Act, and judge
your servants. Punish the bad person and make him suffer the
same things he made other people suffer. Prove that the person
that has done right is innocent. 24 "An enemy might defeat your
people Israel because your people have sinned against you. And
then if the people of Israel come back to you and confess your
name and pray and beg to you in this temple, 25 then hear from
heaven and forgive the sin of your people Israel. Bring them
back into the land you gave to them and to their ancestors. 26
"The sky might close up so that there is no rain. This will
happen if the people of Israel sin against you. And if the
people of Israel are sorry and pray as they look at this temple,
and confess your name, and stop doing their sin because you are
punishing them, 27 then hear from heaven. Hear and forgive
their sins. The people of Israel are your servants. Then teach
them the right way that they should live. And send rain on your
land. That is the land you gave to your people. 28 "There might
be a famine in the land, or terrible sicknesses, or disease in
the crops, or mildew, or locusts, or grasshoppers. Or if enemies
attack the people of Israel in their cities, or if there is any
kind of sickness in Israel, 29 and then a prayer or begging is
made by any of your people of Israel--each person knowing his
own trouble and pain--and if that person spreads his hands and
arms out while looking at this temple, 30 then hear from
heaven. Heaven is where you live. Hear and forgive. Give to each
person what he should get, because you know what is in each
person's heart. Only you know what is in a person's heart. 31
Then the people will fear and obey you as long as they live in
the land you gave our ancestors. 32 "There might be a stranger
who is not one of your people of Israel, but who comes here from
a country far away. That stranger might come here because he
heard of your great name, your great power and your ability to
punish people. When that person comes and prays while looking at
this temple, 33 then in heaven where you live, listen to the
stranger and answer his prayer. Then all the people of the earth
will know your name and respect you, the same as your people
Israel respects you. And all the people of the earth will know
that this temple I built is called by your name. 34 "You will
send your people to some place to fight against their enemies.
They will pray to you as they look toward this city you chose
and toward the temple I built for your name. 35 Please hear
their prayer in heaven. Hear them when they beg for help. And
help them. 36 "People will sin against you--there is not a
person that does not sin--and you will become angry with them.
You will let an enemy defeat them, and be captured and forced to
go to a land far away or near. 37 But then they will change
their minds and beg you while they are in the land where they
are prisoners. They will say, 'We have sinned, we have done
wrong and we have acted wickedly.' 38 And then they will come
back to you with all their heart and all their soul in the land
where they are prisoners. And they will pray as they look toward
their land, the land you gave their ancestors, and toward the
city that you chose. And they will pray as they look toward the
temple I built for your name. 39 When this happens, hear in
heaven. Heaven is your home. Accept their prayers when they beg
for help. And help them. Forgive your people who have sinned
against you. 40 Now, my God, I ask you, open your eyes and your
ears. Listen and pay attention to the prayers we are praying in
this place. 41 "Now, Lord God, get up, and come to your special
place, the Box of the Agreement that shows your strength. May
your priests be dressed with salvation. May your true followers
be happy about these good things. 42 Lord God, accept your
anointed king. Remember your loyal servant David!"
I used this word of God as an example only of how I particularly study the Bible. I sit and stop here and there. Ezra once had a revival and he also stood on a wooden platform so he could be over the people and for four hours they stood hearing the word of God. Today this is not so. Leaders are not spreading their hands out and in front of the people praying to God. They hurry through the services and rush to begin and look at the clock about five times during their preaching...but not so for the King in this story. I hope you liked my example and that you ponder "how" you personally study the word of God, and read Ezra's prayer, Hezakiah's prayer and Solomin's prayer and then remember Jesus words when He said,,,after this manner pray ye: Our Father who art in Heaven Hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will...be done, on earth, as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins and we forgive those who sin against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, and the power and the glory... amen Selah... when you open the Bible, and bow your heart when you pray... and that is the secret of "Bible study."
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