Reading in the Dark:

Have you ever gone to bed with a good book you just had to finish?  You snuggled under the blankets with a torch, but how disappointed you were.  Your torch wouldn't shine!  The batteries were dead, and you didn't have any spares!

It's the same when you read the Bible.  What does it mean?  It seems so hard to understand.  What can you do?  Just leave it on the shelf to collect dust?  No!  The Apostle Peter has some advice for you:

"All this makes us sure that what the prophets said is true.
So you must pay attention to their words,
as you would to a light shining in a dark place." (2 Peter 1:19)

And in verse 20 he says, "No one alone can understand any of the prophecies in the Scriptures."  I see!  No wonder we find the Bible so hard to understand.  We need the author to explain it and make it clear to us!

Who is the author?  It can't be Peter, since he died nearly two thousand years ago.  Oh, it's God you say.  Yes, He's the real author of His Word, the Bible.

Pray before Reading:

Nobody, not even the cleverest person can understand the Bible unless God's Holy Spirit explains it to him.  Sometimes the Holy Spirit uses your parents, a teacher or a minister to explain His Word to you.  So ask their advice if you don't understand something.

Do you now see that its essential to pray before you begin reading the Bible, and ask God to help you understand His Word!  He will shine His light on the words that you read, and make their meaning clear.

A Bookmark Project:

As a project, make a colourful bookmark from thin cardboard for your Bible.  Write these words on it, to remind you every time you read God's Word:

Psalm 119:34, "Give me understanding of Your Word, and I will obey it with my whole heart."

 
Copyright © 2007 Sharon Children's Ministries