Engaging God’s Word: Under His Wings Edition
Sometimes, reading the Bible can feel intimidating. And on another level, connecting with God’s Word is so much more than reading. The Scriptures truly are alive and active, living and breathing! Just as He promises. So how do we connect with a Living Book?
I know there are a lot of left brained ways to do this. And these are beautiful and valuable and I love to engage God’s word this way. Exegesis. Cultural contextual studies. Root Greek and Hebrew studies. All of these and more will always reveal more of God’s character.
But what about times where you’re too thick in grief to exegete? What about when you’re dealing with so much oppression or trauma that you can’t even form your own sentences, let alone read ancient ones? There are lots of easily accessible ways for engaging God’s Word, and today we’ll use the Scripture about hiding under God’s wings as an example.
Under His Wings
Lock in on one small Scripture.
If you’re overwhelmed in life, maybe reading many chapters in a day isn’t the best avenue? God’s Word is so powerful that just one verse that pops off the page for you can carry you through months and even years of hardship. So ask God to highlight just one and lock in on it.
As I laid in bed, I was bombarded with swirls and pages of pressing to-dos, all with big dollar sign consequences if I miss the timestamps, and all with big decisions attached… In that moment, I got still and prayed and one verse popped into my mind.
“He will cover you with His wings.” From Psalm 91. So I locked in on that one.
Find that Scripture in different versions.
This is such a simple way to illuminate more of God’s heart behind His words without needing a PHD in theology. Just go to a Bible website and search for that scripture and click on “Other versions” or “Other translations.” Here’s an example of what popped up for my verse…
He will cover you with his feathers; you will take refuge under his wings. His faithfulness will be a protective shield.
He will cover you and completely protect you with His pinions, And under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and a wall.
He will spread his wings over you and keep you secure. His faithfulness is like a shield or a city wall.
I like Amplified Version because it fills in some gaps for me. I like Contemporary English Version because it feels like drinking milk, a super easy way to get some protein and nourishment. It’s just super easy to read. I also love English Standard Version because it’s a little more poetic. And I love finding new translations where the verse really comes alive and makes sense to me in a new way.
All these versions are just people’s way of translating the original text. Like a scholarly paraphrase. If you’ve ever read a book translated from Spanish or German, you’ll know that the translator does his best to keep in the meaning and tone of the original author, but each translator will have a slightly different word choice. Same with Scripture translation.
Envision the Scripture.
This is so good for the soul. I first learned this in Lectio Devino at the International Anglican Church. We closed our eyes while they read the passage over us. Each time, I saw the story in a new light and different things about the story were highlighted. In the same way, we can read a Scritpure verse and close our eyes and picture it in our mind’s eye. This is neurologically very powerful because your body believes what you think upon.
So if you think upon God’s Word and whatever is true, your body will actually rest more. When I was stressed in the night, I closed my eyes and saw a picture of this verse from Psalm 91. I saw myself curled up and tucked in close with God’s wings all around me. It was safe, comfortable, peaceful. And I just rested there for a while.
I didn’t get many hours of sleep, if any. But I woke up refreshed and renewed. Truly. And I’m sure it’s because I spent some of those waking hours resting under God’s wings.
Next time you need help engaging God’s Word, give this a go. Let me know how it goes for you!
Til next time… Toodle-loo, and Peace be with you.
If you want to walk in full forgiveness and the full power of the Holy Spirit, here’s a prayer to ask Jesus to wash you clean and lead you in a new life.
If you decided to give your life to Jesus today, please let us know so we can share in your new joy! And seek out someone in your area who loves Jesus and walks in humility who can help show you the way.
If you have any questions, you can drop in comments below. That’s what I’m here for!
