Have you ever felt like you don't want to read your Bible? Like, you're down and not in the mood to open the Good Book and start reading its pages?
If you have, or perhaps you feel that way right now, then I have something to share with you. Please read on.
Losing the drive
There are countless reasons why we could lose the drive to read the Bible. Some of the most powerful reasons would be: God didn't respond to our prayers; we were hurt by a fellow Christian; or we became disillusioned with God because of a terrible problem that hit us or someone we love.
Other reasons could be fatigue, busyness, depression or worry. And some of us just don't feel like reading it when we're mad at others.
Whatever the reason is, most of us can relate to that moment when it feels like the drive to read the Bible is fading. And if ever we get to read a few verses or someone reads the Bible aloud to us, we just don't 'feel' it like we did before.
Have you ever felt like this? If you have, I understand you. I've been there too. Many of us have been there. And when we stop reading the Bible and stop meditating on it, that's when we start to see our lives falling away from God:
"Unless Your law had been my delight, I would then have perished in my affliction. I will never forget Your precepts, for by them You have given me life." (Psalm 119:92-93)
So what do we do when the drive to read the Bible and meditate on it goes away?
We simply put it back in.
Gaining back the drive
When the drive to read the Bible is fading, you could read devotionals or Christian books. While this may be helpful, I have some different recommendations:
1) Pray
First of all, I recommend coming to God in prayer and asking Him for a desire to read His word. In Amos 8:11, we read:
"Behold, the days are coming," says the Lord God, "That I will send a famine on the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord."
God wants to help you when you are struggling so don't worry that He will be angry. Just go like a child, seeking His help and asking Him to cause us to hunger for His word once again. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. We believe this for things like changing the world, saving souls, or achieving life goals, so why wouldn't this be true when it comes to your own spiritual health and faith life?
2) Revisit earlier days
While Isaiah 43 18 tells us to forget the former things, Psalm 103:2 tells us, "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits."
We are commanded to remember all the good things that the Lord has done, thus we should look back to every single good thing that He has done for us. In doing this, we can pull up old journals or old notes recording verses that spoke to us, or things that God did for us when we believed His word.
I believe looking back to God's goodness will help us desire Him again.
3) Listen to sermons
I know reading the Bible can be difficult for some, but listening to a podcast or audio sermon shouldn't be. If this is the case, an audio or YouTube sermon, can help.
The preaching of God's truths can never replace the actual personal reading and understanding of God's word. That said, we can start to revive our love for God's word by allowing others who love God to impart such love to us.
4) Use a Bible commentary
Sometimes, our passion for reading the Bible dries up because we simply forget how amazing God's word is. We forget the amazing truths contained in it. Picking up a Bible commentary is a great way of tapping into those truths again quickly and easily. When we discover the meaning of a word we never knew before or the context of a familiar parable explained in a whole new way, it makes reading God's word like an exciting journey of discovery. Don't deceive yourself that you know it all already.
5) Don't stop reading God's word
Friends, it can sound obvious, but don't stop reading God's word, even when you really don't have any mood to read it at all! Why is this so? Because the more you don't read it, the more you won't want to read it. We can easily find other things to do with our time - watch YouTube videos, play video games, meet for coffee with friends. The options open to us in this day and age are endless. But Bible reading is a discipline, like eating healthily, exercising or getting enough sleep. That means we should do it regardless of how we are feeling.
I hope these tips help you enough. God bless you!
