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There are many different approaches to reading the Bible. I love to read in big chunks, for example. But I also have a problem. Sometimes, I read my Bible too quickly. Why? Sometimes I’m distracted. Other times, it’s because I’ve not managed my time well.
My best times in the Bible are those when I slow down. When I can immerse myself in it, lingering over sentences, and meditating on its truths as I read. (And I know I’m not alone in this.)
I genuinely enjoy reading and studying the Bible. It is one of my favorite things. So, as this year has progressed, I’ve been considering how I want my time in the Word to be different—to approach it in light of how I actually feel about it. So here’s what I’m doing: As I read, I am writing out books of the Bible.
Writing to Honor and Obey the Lord
If that sounds familiar, it’s because it’s actually an old practice. The kings of Israel, for example, were commanded to make a copy of the Law for themselves:
Also it shall be, when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write for himself a copy of this law in a book, from the one before the priests, the Levites. And it shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God and be careful to observe all the words of this law and these statutes, that his heart may not be lifted above his brethren, that he may not turn aside from the commandment to the right hand or to the left, and that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his children in the midst of Israel (Deuteronomy 17:18-20 NKJV).
Why were they commanded to write the Law? To learn to fear the Lord their God. To know him and honor him as God, remembering his deeds and his actions on his people’s behalves. Kings were to write, meditate, and remember to humble themselves. They were to know that no human king is greater than his people. They too were to be careful to obey God’s commands, just as the people were.
I am not king, obviously. I’m 99.9 percent sure you aren’t either. But even so, the value of this remains for us. After all, who among us is exempt from the call to obey all that Christ commanded (Matthew 28:20)?
Who is not called have this mind among us: “…in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself,” looking out not only for our own interests, but also the interests of others, as Christ did for us (Philippians 2:3-5 NKJV)?
Writing to Remember and to Wonder
Writing by hand engages our brains and bodies in a different way than writing on a keyboard or screen. While there’s something to be said about the way writing by hand uses our whole bodies and creates a greater sense of situational awareness vs typing, the key thing to know is that handwriting reinforces memory as it “locks the motor and sensory systems together.” It creates a connection between words and actions, which, in turn, leads us to remember them more effectively.
(It also has the added benefit of strengthening the quality of our handwriting, which is important for people like me who have a nasty case of left-handed dude.)
But this is the key: I want to remember—to meditate and consider God’s Word more carefully. I want to linger over it. Writing helps me do that. So where am I starting? John’s Gospel, whose prologue introduces us to Christ in his divine form: the Word who was with God and was God in the beginning, through whom all things were made (John 1:1-4).
Because I’ve only recently started doing this, I’m not very far along, only a few verses, but I already find myself more effectively remembering those words describing who Christ is. Thinking about the mystery of God’s nature as three-in-one, and that the One apart from whom “nothing that was made was made” (John 1:4) came into the world he made and dwelt among us. It’s astounding. How can we not be in awe of that?
I want to wonder at God’s Word. That doesn’t happen when I’m trying to check off a box. It comes from lingering, meditating, and remembering. Writing helps me to do that. And if you’re anything like me, it might help you do the same.
