The scriptures are inspired tools for our growth toward God. Through them we can learn of His ways, His desires for us, and what He expects from us as His children. This all excites me to no end. And it is why I desire to show Him I value my scriptures by reading from them.
I have found that For indeed, if I want to understand what it is the Lord has placed before me in the scriptures, it would be important to approach those sacred words in the best frame of mind possible. That is achieved through prayer.
Ezra in the Old Testament is a perfect example of this. He was a priest who felt the duty to teach the Israelites God’s laws. He eventually received permission to bring out of captivity certain exiles so that they might worship in the temple.
He was known for his willingness to serve, even with such unpleasantries as having the Jews divorce from their pagan spouses. He worked diligently to bring about much order for the Lord’s people and is known for teaching that even daily life holds much eternal significance (see the Bible Dictionary for more insights into the ancient prophet Ezra).
But the thing I love the best about Ezra was his example of how he approached the Lord’s laws. We can do the same as we approach the scriptures, which contain those laws and manifestation of God’s love.
In Ezra 7:10, we read:
“For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statues and judgments.”
This touches me, because it requires humility to ready oneself to “seek the law of the Lord.” What if that law requires that we set aside certain indulgences? What if that law expects that we serve another without thought of self? What if … ?
In every respect, if we are to truly benefit from our personal scripture study, we need to approach receiving the law of the Lord contained in those scriptures with the same humility that Ezra manifested. He prepared himself to do that very thing. And what is one of the most potent ways we can do the same? Through prayer just prior to scripture reading, and in fact, all through the day until we read again.
Prayer is more potent than many people realize. In fact, it is from the days of Adam and his sons that the instruction has come to pray to God (see Genesis 4:26). The Lord hears our prayers. In 2 Kings 19:20, we read:
“Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, That which thou hast prayed to me … I have heard.”
Thus, when we ask for the Lord’s help during scripture study, He will help us. When we ask for increased understanding of what we read, He will respond in kind. When we seek the Spirit’s aid in application of what we’ve read, that help will be given.
Yes, indeed, how important to begin each scripture study time with prayer. We can call on Heavenly Father’s name, thank Him for what He has given through the scriptures, and ask for understanding while we read them. We then close in the name of Jesus Christ, and with the word “amen” signify our sincerity. By so doing, we’ve increased the benefit of scripture study in our life!
