Holding On To A Word

I have something to say....Is this a safe space? I need to be honest for a second…(*inhales deeply*) Okay...for the majority of my life I did not enjoy reading the Bible. I know. I know. It sounds terrible, but it was hard to understand and I would often find myself dozing off or day dreaming about something else half-way through a verse.

BUT, thank God, for growth! I, now, enjoy reading the Word. It means a lot more to me and I find myself getting caught up in the stories, and how a little too relatable some of them can be. I enjoy discovering the character of God through His Word and His faithful love for His people. I sometimes find myself listening to a sermon, and the Word itself preaches a WHOLE message and speaks to the very thing that I needed to hear.

As I’m reading through the Bible, I find scriptures that I like to hold onto throughout my day, week, or life. I was in a season, recently, where I was struggling to find peace. It literally seemed that everything I wanted to go right, was going left. I genuinely needed peace because I didn’t think I could keep going with the way things were.

I found a scripture that said:

"Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 4:6-7 NLT

Well I decided to hang onto this scripture. I continuously reminded myself of it and put it into action. I started by talking with God about how I was feeling and the circumstances I was facing (Yes, He already knows but He wanted to hear it anyway!), then thanked Him for all that He is to me, and I eventually started to feel peace in my life. While giving thanks, I realized God’s faithful love for me. I focused on all the times God showed up for me, protected me, kept me sane, and did things for me that I thought were too small for Him to even care about.

I wonder what other scriptures we could be missing out on that will help us see who God is, get us through a season, teach us wisdom, or give us hope for the future. If you find a scripture that speaks to you, write it down and, if applicable, do what it says and see if anything changes! (I highly recommend reading the entire chapter for context.)

If you struggle with reading the Bible, try out any of these tips below:

1. Try a different translation (I’ve found that NLT is easy to understand!)

2. Talk to God about your desire to understand and ask Him for help.

3. Look for a Bible Study group at your local church or create one with a small group of friends!

4. Take a look at The Bible Project on YouTube (they often summarize each chapter through amazing visuals!) or Melody Alisa on Youtube who tells Bible stories in fun, relatable ways!

If you have any other tips, send them to me on IG @filledandpoured !