Rooted

Several weeks before the start of 2023, I felt this undeniable nudging of the Holy Spirit. I felt it before, but I always had an excuse not to listen. Take a break. Pull yourself away. I kept returning to that still, small voice telling me to “fast” social media. I put “fast” in quotes because I don’t want to compare this fast in any way with the fasting described in the Bible. Breaking from digital platforms is in no way an equal comparison. But after being on social media for about 16 years, it would be a sacrifice in some way to go cold turkey. I have taken breaks before, but this was different. This was a clear direction to break away from all my accounts for one year. So, on January 1, 2023, I quietly stepped away.

I felt this calling for a sense of revival in my spiritual life. Merriam-Webster defines revival as “a renewed attention to or interest in something.” I needed a renewal in my heart, so I committed to becoming more rooted in God’s Word. Rooted was my word for 2023, and Colossians 2:6-7 would be my guide: “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in Thanksgiving.”

I started a chronological reading of the Bible without any distractions during my devotional time. More times than not, I would sit down with my Bible but first check my social apps. Before I knew it, an hour or more had gone by. My time with God in His Word was often neglected by being consumed with scrolling the views of the world. I needed to make a clean break from the digital world and soak in the pages of the Bible. I started from the beginning in the book of Genesis. If God’s story defines my worldview, I had to be obedient and revive it with a renewed interest.

It Starts with His Word

I can’t explain it but my soul needed this fast. As a freelance writer and editor, the Bible is often the focus or reference of my work. But God’s Word often felt dry and dull. It was the resource I pulled off the shelf instead of what should be the lifeblood of my work. I hardly recognized it, but that quiet Holy Spirit nudge to break away was just what I needed to acknowledge that the roots of my faith were rotting out from under me. God wanted me to be obedient to nurture those roots and build my relationship with Him—starting with His Word.

A healthy tree that rises from the ground with a firm trunk and multiple branches fanning its leaves across the sky must be equally supported by a strong root system.  The 19^th-century minister Charles Haddon Spurgeon preached about taking proactive measures to nurture one’s spiritual life. “They tell me there is as much of a tree under as above ground,” Spurgeon said, “and certainly it is so with the believer; his visible life would soon wither if not for his secret life.” The secret life Spurgeon was referring to was not to hide it from the world but to keep my time with God sacred. As a believer that sacred time develops a firm foundation. It is a call of obedience to holiness and, hopefully, a heart revival.

In 2022, the American Bible Society released its State of the Bible report describing an “unprecedented drop in the percentage of Bible users in the United States.” More Americans are becoming disengaged with the Word of God, and according to the study, only ten percent of U.S. adults use the Bible daily. That was me—I was becoming more and more disengaged. Don’t misunderstand; I had my Bible open at church on Sunday and almost daily found a quick scripture reference to try and apply to my life. But it fell in line with more of my to-do list. Bible reading: check. A quick prayer: check. On with my day. God was saying, “No, I want more of you, Julie.” So I carved out my mornings—away from social media—and each day the Bible became more alive to me than ever before.

It’s Not About Me

My reading time slowly developed into a habit, but I also changed how I read the Bible. This time, I stopped looking for myself in Scripture. What? It sounds crazy, but I heard a podcaster say she really didn’t comprehend the Bible until she stopped looking for the answers to her life and just read it to understand the character of God. “Stop looking for yourself in Scripture. Look to understand God.” I knew this would be difficult, and I would have to rewire my brain in how I read the Bible. But the more I read from this perspective, the more God revealed His character to me.

The Bible is not a story about me. It’s about God. Previously, I would bring my thoughts, preconceptions, and feelings into Scripture and often found it difficult to understand many passages of the Bible. But when I solely concentrated on looking for God’s character through the chronological story, I found a God who is constantly yearning for a relationship with His creation—including me. When I stopped looking for answers in Scripture, I found them and Him. Oh, how I treasure His Word in my heart!

Applying the Bible to our lives is important, but not until we read—cover to cover—and unlock the mystery of God and His character. It feels as if I have spent a lifetime reading devotionals, attending women’s Bible studies and conferences, and getting bits and pieces of God’s Word. But this year, when I committed to reading the Bible daily, without commentary or a well-meaning application, I began to be genuinely rooted in God’s Word.

The best analogy of this is I remember visiting a store with handcrafted quilts. There was a quilt folded over a wooden rack. Each square of the quilt was beautifully embroidered with a unique image. There were animals, trees, flowers, and water scenes. Each block on the quilt revealed these amazing intricate designs. But when I lifted the quilt off the rack, it revealed all those images depicting one seamless landscape. That quilter intentionally crafted every square with a bigger picture in mind. That’s the Bible; every author, book, chapter, and verse was intentionally designed to reveal God’s story to humankind.

Stop looking for yourself in Scripture. Look to understand God. — Tara-Leigh Cobble

 

A Lifelong Journey

So, here I am, nearly twelve months into my chronological journey through the Bible. I have grown in biblical knowledge, yet I have so much more to learn. There were days when the Bible became alive to me with greater understanding. And there were days when confusion was the theme of my day’s reading. But Scripture reading is a lifelong journey. It’s the relationship tool to know God. Those pages are taking root, and it’s up to me to nurture that growth.

It is humbling to write this part because I must admit I let social media cut in on my sacred time. If I had not been on social media platforms, other things might have overshadowed my time with God instead. But I am grateful for that gentle tug to step away. Shutting down the distractions was God’s gentle reminder to commit to His voice. I had to ask myself: Do I put Him in a place of prominence in my life? Do I idolize and strive for other things more than Him? It was only through quieting the voices around me that I heard His voice calling me to a deeper relationship with Him. God was reawakening in me a habit of daily aligning with Him. The same habit He taught to the Israelites—the practice where our identity is found in Him and Him alone.

With all this rooting and renewing, I think I have a treasure trove of things to share and blog about. I have asked God whether He is rooting me in His Word for a specific purpose. I haven’t received an answer. But for now, my Bible reading continues. I decided to concentrate on the Old Testament in 2023. So now I’ll venture into the New Testament in 2024, where the plot thickens and God’s redemption story is revealed. I am grateful that God was mindful of me in 2023. The time I have spent in His Word has been invaluable. Over the years, I let the habit of neglect uproot far too much. I never want to take His Word for granted again.

(Adapted from a previous article in Faith Family Freedom magazine)