Read your Bible most when you are hurting the most

What I want to communicate here is one idea, namely, “Read Your Bible Most When You’re Hurting the Most.” Have you always wanted to understand the Bible better? Is there a longing in your soul to really take in, deeply, the insights of Scripture? Additionally, is there a desire to have solid hope in the midst of your greatest trial and your darkest pain? If so, then keep reading. If not, then keep reading anyway! There is a field within theological circles called “Hermeneutics.”  Hermeneutics is the field of study that teaches us how to best interpret what the original authors of the Bible were saying in their day so that we can understand, and apply, that meaning to our day. For example, we are taught that when you read a passage, you must always read it within its own context. You must, as one Christian leader says, “Never Read a Bible Verse,” but you must always read what is above that verse and what is below that verse. You must read the chapter before and the chapter after to place that verse within its proper context. Additionally, it’s always helpful to ask which book of the Bible the passage of Scripture is located. If the Bible verse is located in Proverbs or Psalms, then that verse may be interpreted differently than if it’s located in 2 Kings or in the book of Ephesians because each one of those books are made up of different genres, and you use different interpretative tools based upon those differing genres to draw out the most accurate translation of the text. You do not read or interpret poetry the same way you would interpret prose or a letter.  It’s also important to know who is speaking in the passage, where they are located geographically within passage, and it’s important to identify any places that are mentioned within the passage as well. All of these items, and more, help us to best come to an understanding of what the Bible says. The reason that we need use as many tools as we can to interpret the Bible is because there is a 2000-3000+ year gap and we need to use those tools to “fill in” that gap as much as possible so that we can understand and apply the Bible to our context.

What does any of this have to do with our deepest, darkest pain? What do these interpretive tools have to do with depression, a feeling of being “lost” in life, a lack of personal meaning, confusion, tragedy, and great pain? All of these tools mentioned above are the standard tools for interpreting the Bible, but there is one element, one “tool” that is often left out of the interpretive process of the Bible: Pain (or Hurt or Evil or Darkness, etc.). John Piper has said, “An indispensable key to understanding the Scriptures is suffering in the path of righteousness.” Martin Luther himself said that in addition to “prayer” and “meditation,” that “trial” (affliction, difficulty, etc.) is one key way that we can understand what Scripture is saying. It is often in our darkness night that we will see Scripture in a different, and brighter light, than when we see it during our seasons of ease and peace.

Let me encourage you today that if you are hurting or suffering today to keep reading your Bible more, not less. It is in these moments of trials that the Lord will often do His greatest work in you, and He will often speak to you in ways through His Word that you’ve never experienced before. Certainly, there is no guarantee that God will speak, but oftentimes our hearts are at their softest, and we are often more open to God and often more dependent upon God, when we are going through difficulties of various kinds. Running from God when we are hurting does not help us for then we are running from the only place where true “help” can be found (Psalm 121:1-2). If we run from God then we are running away from any hope of solid answers, away from the Anchor of our soul (Hebrews 6:19), running away from true healing and true support. We must say, with Peter, when others were deserting Jesus: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God” (John 6:68-69). Where else will we turn to find the words of life, to find sure and certain promises, besides Him?

We must see the wisdom in remaining open to God during this precious time of trial for we will often see His glory best when life seems to be at its worse. It is always darkest just before the sun breaks out. The darkness of night, even, the darkest time of night, is always right before the breaking of the morning sun.  God may (or may not!) bring deliverance now, in this life, but we do know that, ultimately, there is a Great Deliverance to come that will trump every trial and difficulty we have gone through. For those who are in Christ, there will be a day of no more grief, no more sorrow, no more death, no more mourning, and He will wipe away every tear from our eyes on that Great Day (Revelation 21:1-4). Even if our “great morning” never comes in this life, we must trust that the One Great Morning will come for those who have put their trust in Christ, for He is faithful, and He is good, and His love endures forever, and He will keep His promise to His people forever: “…weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.” (Psalm 30:5). Remind yourself, my friend, that for those who have put their trust in Christ for salvation, on the other side of this life there is a Joy (with a capital “J”) that eternally awaits us. Give yourself the opportunity to read your Bible the most when you are hurting the most, and remind yourself of His promises that will never fail you in your darkest night.