Opening the Bibleنموونە

Great Bible study is bookended by Prayer

To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing. Martin Luther

When you marinate food, usually a protein like chicken or beef, you cover it in an acidic liquid (like vinegar or lemon juice). The acidic liquid breaks down the outer layers of the meat so that the flavorful seasonings can work their way in deeper.

Marination takes time. You can’t just drop a chicken breast in a marinade for a few minutes and expect it to hold the flavour. You have to give the process time to work.

Prayer is Christian marination. Praying with and in the Bible allows us to sit in God’s truth for an extended period in such a way that allows it to break through our outer barriers and “flavour” us beyond what we were capable of becoming on our own.

With this in mind, let me share with you the prayer I say every time I pick up my Bible:

“Lord, please open me up to Your Word, and open up Your Word to me.”

This sets the stage in my mind and heart for something to happen during my daily habit. I want to be changed. I want the Holy Spirit to illuminate the Word. I make these intentions clear by voicing this short prayer.

After your reading, pray a simple prayer:

“God, show me how I can apply this Scripture to my life today”

Tomorrow, we will look more in-depth at how we can pray with the Bible, but this is a great start.