Let's face the truth: Not everyone who reads the Bible experiences the power of scripture, and there are times when even the most devoted believer can open up a passage and not get a mighty revelation. Why does the Bible sometimes feel powerless and how can we avoid empty scripture meditation?
I have to be honest. There was a point in my life when I was down and out. When I turned to the Bible to look for edification, it was just not there.
One thing we must always remember is that, regardless how we feel, there is nothing wrong with God's Word. Hebrews 4:12 tells us, "For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart" (ESV).
The problem is not in God's Word. Many times the problem is with us. Because of our broken and sinful states, we can make even the most sanctified things of God seem pointless. That's what some believers do to ministry, corporate worship, grace and even God's character. This world is filled with lies that distort the power and truth that lies behind the things that come from God.
One of the biggest misconceptions we have about the Word of God is that it's just the Word of God. While the Bible is helpful to everyday life and contains every imaginable teaching and testimony that will point us to Christ's complete power—which is really all we need—God's Word is not just a book.
The best illustration I have heard about the Word of God is that of a person. Imagine that a Bible is a body, but a body without a spirit does not have life. You might have the best scriptures lined up in front of you, but without the Spirit of God to inspire you, those passages are nothing more than a beautiful corpse.
More than access to the Word of God, what is equally or even more essential is the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 2:12 puts it this way: "Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God" (ESV). The Spirit of God made available through Christ is what completes God's Word so we receive powerful revelation, insight and motivation when we read God's Word.
Are you struggling with reading God's Word today? Does it feel like nothing more than a book of books talking about old traditions, poems and beliefs? If you start asking God for His Spirit as you read His Word, you'll start to see more and more power and revelation as you grow in Bible-reading.
