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In this chapter we will speak concerning reading the Bible and praying. Christ can be found in the Bible. We cannot know or touch Christ without the Bible. Furthermore, the Bible is a matter of the Spirit. We must pray with our spirit to touch the spiritual realities in the Spirit. Our reading of the Bible and praying must be in coordination. There are some basic points related to reading the Bible and praying.
Every Bible reader should be clear that Christ is the center and the content of the Bible. Since the Bible is the explanation of Christ, we should seek Him when we read the Bible. The Bible also reveals Christ to us so that He would be our supply. Therefore, when we read the Bible, we should not merely seek to know about Christ; we should also seek to gain Christ as our supply. We do not want only knowledge or doctrines concerning Christ. We want the revelation of Christ, and we want to be supplied with Him through the Spirit.
We should focus on being supplied by the Bible more than we focus on being taught by the Bible. It is undeniable that there are a considerable number of teachings in the Bible. We should pay proper attention to these teachings. However, our intention in reading the Bible should always be to receive a supply.
Christ is the center of our supply. The Bible can supply us in various ways because it is an all-inclusive book, but we should always take Christ as the center of our supply. When we read the Bible, our focus and intent should be to gain Christ as the center of our supply.
Here are some practical points related to reading the Bible.
We should not read too fast or read too much. To receive a supply from the Bible, that is, to digest the Bible, is different from browsing, or speed-reading, mentioned in the previous chapter. If we read too fast or too much, it is unlikely that we will receive a sense from the Spirit, nor will we be able to absorb anything. Hence, when we come to the Bible to receive a supply, we should read slowly and contact the Spirit with our spirit. When we receive a spiritual sense from the Word, that is, sense the anointing in our spirit, we should pause and turn the spiritual sense, or anointing, into prayer. This is the way to use our spirit and absorb the supply of Christ in the Bible. After praying, we can continue to read. When we receive another sense in our spirit, we should again stop and pray. We should read and pray in this way until we are satisfied and filled in spirit.
We should not be pretentious when we pray; rather, our prayer should follow the sense of the Spirit. We do not need to worry about uttering complete sentences. We should pray in a spontaneous manner so that we cannot truly distinguish between our praying and our reading, for the two are incorporated into one. When we are concerned with our utterance or use set expressions, we will lose the sense of the Spirit.
Reading and praying can be practiced individually and in groups. The saints will receive more benefit if they can meet together regularly and practice reading and praying. The sense of the Spirit is richer when we read the Bible in groups. Furthermore, we are saved from peculiar practices and from falling into individual spirituality.
God intends to be our enjoyment through the tree of life, signifying Christ, and the river of water of life, signifying the Spirit. Christ is found in the Bible, and the Spirit is in our spirit. Reading the Bible and praying are the means for us to know Christ and contact the Spirit so that we can enjoy our bountifully rich God. This is God’s intention for man, and this is the greatest blessing from God. May the young people begin now to practice reading the Bible and praying so that they can enjoy the riches of God.
