Tuning In Not Tuning Out

Have you ever lived close to a railway line with trains passing quite regularly? If you have, then you will know that although it initially feels really annoying, you eventually find that your brain tunes out the noises to the extent you rarely notice them.

We can do the same with God’s word, or perhaps it’s just me! I can read the passage of the Bible I have chosen to work through and get to the end, only to realise that I’ve glossed over the words. Some thought has entered my mind just enough to make me lose my concentration (and we know where that thought can come from, don’t we!).

If I don’t make the effort to really concentrate on what I’m reading line by line, I am just deceiving myself (as the verse above explains). I find I need to also ask myself what that verse or phrase really means.

I may have to even go beyond this and not just leave to one side verses that I struggle to understand. I must make the effort to look at a couple of commentaries and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the truth to me.

Think of it another way. Just reading God’s word, without making the effort to concentrate on what God is saying through it, is a bit like eating tiny portions of food. It will ultimately leave your body weak and (spiritually) unhealthy. The Bible makes this clear, ‘For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn’t know how to do what is right’ (Hebrews 5:13, NLT).

To grow as children of God we must read His word (it is our spiritual food), and concentrate on what we are reading. We must think, pray, and study passages we struggle to understand. As we do so, we will find ourselves maturing as believers. Then we will better understand what God wants us to do, so that we may live lives that are pleasing to Him.

Don’t tune out of God’s word. Tune into it!