I’ve been in the Psalms lately for my quiet times. And each time I open to one, the Lord teaches me something new or shows me new connections, even with the psalms I’m more familiar with. This reality is true for all believers. It’s one of the Spirit’s graces to shed more light on the Bible whenever we read it.
This ministry is so vital because left alone to read and study, we would quickly find the Bible boring and repetitive. But as the Spirit in us sheds light on a text, we see truths afresh – both in their meaning and in their applications to our lives. New layers of truth already in a passage, and new applications for our lives.
We’re finite creatures, so we often have a hard time seeing the “more” that’s already in the Bible. But by the Spirit through the Bible…
· we can learn new truths (John 14:26)
· we can re-learn or remember old truths (1 John 2:20, 27)
· we can grasp the deep things of God in the gospel (1 Cor 2:11-16)
· we can be convicted of sin and righteousness (John 16:8-11)
· we can discern truth from error (1 John 4:2-6)
· we see the glory of Christ and be transformed by it (2 Cor 3:18; 4:6)
The Spirit’s ministry in us through the Bible is immense! We should be grateful. We should rejoice. We should take comfort in His work.
And we should be expectant. Whenever we open our Bibles, let’s prayerfully wait on the Spirit to work His Word in our hearts as we read it…as we believe it.
He will perform nothing less than wonders.
