I remember a dream that I had when my oldest son was nine. He and I and two angels dressed in white were standing in heaven beside a giant Bible, taller than we were. The pages of the Bible had fallen open to these words:

“Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.” (Matthew 24:35 KJV)

In the dream, I understood instantly that anything else that I had read in this life would be as nothing in heaven — worthless compared to the Word of God. One day in January of that year, I had picked up a Christian book to read, but my vigilant son commented, “Why don’t you read the Bible?” As a result, full of ambition, Chris and I embarked on a project of reading the Bible every day.

Unfortunately, our fervour didn’t last very long, but it was a beginning in my battle to read the Word consistently. During my teaching years, I found it impossible to read the Bible before school, and I wasn’t much for concentration late in the evening. It was all that I could do to wake up and get ready before my 50-minute commute to the school. My drive was great for prayer and praising the Lord, but I didn’t even own Bible CDs to listen to.

Thirty-seven years later, in my retirement, I have finally settled into a pattern. The Bible that I’m reading through now has wonderful footnotes and life applications, which shed so much light on the background and meaning of each verse.

There is something invigorating about reading the Word every day. In the 1980s, after attending a seminar that focused on solid Scriptural teaching, a friend commented, “I feel washed by the Word.” Indeed, she had been “washed by the cleansing of God’s word.” Ephesians 5:26b NLT) Sometimes in my journal, I make notes on Scriptures that speak to me, usually using a different coloured ink for the quotation so that it stands out on the page, and so that I can find it again. It’s inspiration for writing future devotionals!

One PresbyCan reader wrote me and shared how he writes out verses of Scripture, five times each. How impressive to spend that much time every day, allowing the Word to soak into his consciousness. The Word is making an impact on his life.

During my years in the Christian school, we staff memorized the monthly Scriptures along with the students. Every morning during our assembly time, we would open our Bibles and recite the Scripture passage for that month. One principal even repeated a certain passage every September. That is one of the easiest ones for me to recall now, if I happen to lie awake at night, unable to sleep.

This year, let’s begin or keep up the habit of daily Bible reading. We won’t regret it!

Prayer: Lord, help us to see the importance of saturating ourselves with Your Word, so that our lives can be changed, and so that we can become more and more like You. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

Copyright © 2022, by Alice Burnett <terrencera.burnett@gmail.com>, first published on the PresbyCan Daily Devotional presbycan.ca .
Red Deer, Alberta, Canada

Reprinted from PresbyCan with author’s permission