Once I finish a book, I don’t usually reread it. The surprises are blown, and I’m ready for something new.
But even with the occasional books I do reread, the second (or third) reading is never the same as the first time. I may catch a few details I missed the first pass, and I may be reminded of truths I need to live more, but subsequent readings are quicker and often just skimmed.
So do we need to reread the Bible over and over?
- We already know the major stories.
- The essential themes are familiar by now.
- It’s not quick (it takes me three years to get through my two-year plan; I long ago gave up one year).
- And it’s not necessarily easier each time (Isaiah 55:8-9). Sometimes the more we read, the less we understand.
Yet we can’t stay away from this book. We memorize it; we pray it; we preach it to ourselves.
Here’s why:
The more we read the Bible, the more we see God. And the more we see God, the more we love God.
We can never get too much of Love.
I know, I know—there are many ways to see God. Through nature. Through other people. Through direct experiences with Him. I love these ways. I need these ways. The words written about God are not the only way to find Him. After all, in Him we don’t just read; in Him we actually live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28).
Even Jesus Himself pointed this out. When He showed up on earth as God in the flesh, He wanted those around Him to come directly to Him, to believe because of the works He was doing. He chastised those who were just searching the Scriptures and yet not coming to Him (John 5:39-40).
We don’t want to make that same mistake: to miss Jesus because we’re keeping our heads in a book, even a book about Him.
So as we read, let’s also look around. Look up. Look in. Ask that the written words point us to the Living Word.
- Even in the old stories, regularly discover new things about yourself, about others, about God
- Be open to surprises through words that are not static but are breathed-out mercies each morning from God
- Invite God to walk daily with you in fresh stories yet to be lived, centering in the present, reframing the past, hoping in the future
Knowing the Bible isn’t the end goal. Knowing God is. The Bible is a means to that goal. As Jesus used Scripture with the two men on the road to Emmaus, we also want Scripture to better enlighten us about Jesus (Luke 24:27).
As A. W. Tozer said,
“What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.”
The God we worship determines the kind of people we become. We’re not made in the image of a book, but in the image of the living God. It’s not the Bible we worship; that’s the book we study. It’s the God we’re after, and the book points to Him (John 20:30-31).
Let’s read the Bible not to be known as biblical people, but to become godly people. Because we don’t want to just learn the Bible, or even just learn about God, we want to live like God, to be with God, to love like God.
And if the book can help us get there, may we read on and on and on.
All month long we’re discussing reasons to abide in the Word.
Do you ever reread the same books?
What are some of your reasons for continuing to read the Bible again and again (or not)?
Please share in the comments.
I keep reading because it is at random moments in life that God will recall to my memory a Biblical lesson that I am currently going through or just went through and my eyes are open to His plan for me. I have read it through in a year. I have randomly selected books to read and study out. Currently I am listening to a book a month over and over in different versions. I love the Lord with all my heart and want to know as much of Him as I can possibley absorb. Thanks Lisa for encouraging us to read on!
Thank you for sharing these reasons to keep reading the Bible. Great ones! Isn’t it wonderful how God continues to work through these words, thousands of years later, in our current lives of today? I’ll have to try your approach of using a different version to hear the same book over and over. I try to read through a different version each time I read through the whole Bible, but that takes awhile. :)
I read and read the bible because I want to grow in knowledge of Him. Like 2 Peter 1:3 says, “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness,” I’ll have everything I need to live a godly life THROUGH my knowledge of Him.
Amen, Jerralea. 2 Peter 1:3 is the perfect verse to add here. Thanks!
Hi Lisa,
Reading here from Bonnie’s today but what a thoughtful post! I grew up in the church, learning scripture but now I am experiencing God instead of just knowing about him in my head. As I read verses that are so familiar to me, they just glow with wisdom that I want seared into my soul and I’m always amazed at how alive his words are!
I’m right there with you, Valerie. I grew up attending Bible classes multiple times a week, but only as an adult have those stories become more alive as God has become so real to me. I’m thankful for both seasons that now blend together. We are blessed.
I’ve been reading the Bible for about a month now and my life has changed 100%. I can feel the holy spirit inside me and I learn so much every day when I read it. I have so much love for God now more than I’ve ever had in my life I’m 58 years old and I’m going to live for God for the rest of my life. Cecill
That’s wonderful, Cecil! I love how the Holy Spirit keeps the words fresh to speak to us through any season, any year, and every person. Thanks for sharing this. Praying you see many blessings on your journey with God!
Oh, my, Lisa! I love this post….because I LOVE His Word! YES, I read it over and over and over and, well, you get the point! :) Because no matter how many times I read a particular passage, it is kept fresh to me because it is always different. God can take one verse into endless directions. I never get it all in one reading, because it is multi-dimensional, and I have found that He tailors the understanding I receive each time I read something, based on what I need to know in this moment. For instance, I may not need to know a certain aspect until later, down the line, due to a trial I am walking through or a decision I am needed to make, so He may not reveal that part of a passage to me, at the moment. His Word never spoils! We don’t have to absorb it all today, because there will be fresh, new inspiration for each new day He allows us to live. And whatever we happen to be going through during those moments will shape what He gives us as we live them and turn to His Word for guidance and comfort. He is an awesome God Who authored and inspired a fathomless Book of all books with a wellspring of truth that will never run dry, become stale, irrelevant, or outdated. The older I become, the more I appreciate and love Him and His Word!! :) Thanks for sharing this thought-provoking, edifying post.
So many key words stand out to me in your comment, Cheryl:
“endless directions”
“multi-dimensional”
“tailored understanding”
“never spoils”
Thank you so much for sharing these.
How gracious our God is to unwrap His Word to us in the ways we need it, at just the right times we need it. The only hindrance is our own thoughts that can stand in the way. I pray for all our minds to stay open to the fresh understanding He wants to bring to us each day. Blessings to you for sharing this with us here.
I am amazed at how there is always something new and fresh and applicable each time I read the Bible. No matter how well known a portion may be, there is always something never before seen. Wonderful post!
Exactly! I think that’s the brilliance of God. Just when we think we’ve drained a story dry, He can reveal something to us in a way we’ve never considered. I appreciate you sharing your thoughts, Joanne.
I am 72 years of age. I have read the Bible “cover to cover” three times. I have also studied it since I was in a “Kindergarten Class'” – so am pretty familiar with what’s in the Bible. However even after all this, I can read the same scripture that I might have read two dozen times, and voila!! some new meaning or application LEAPS out at me!! I still study it, but also occasionally just “pick it up” and am always surprised when it seems HE knows what I am looking for, and knows answers to questions that I haven’t even asked!
That’s awesome, Tommy. It amazes me how the words still speak life into us no matter how many times we’ve read them or how old the words themselves are. God is still very much alive and relevant regardless of all! Thanks for sharing this beautiful testimony to that.
This speaks to me so loudly today. I have recently picked up the bible again after a 3 or 4 year hiatus. Remember the lines “prone to wander”? Those were written about me. I admit I find myself disillusioned with religion but the bible brings me home. That’s why I reread it.
I do remember that song well.
“Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it;
Seal it for Thy courts above.”
I love that you read the Bible to bring you home. Beautiful. Me, too. The God I love is home.