“Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.” (Psalm 119:18)
Have you ever read the Bible and felt like you weren’t truly seeing the wonders within its pages? It’s a common experience. We can read about glorious truths, yet fail to perceive their glory. We encounter passages about God’s infinite love, wisdom, and holiness, but feel no corresponding awe, admiration, or trembling. This phenomenon is what Jesus refers to in Matthew 13:13 when He says that people "see without seeing." It is possible to encounter the most profound truths in the Bible and yet remain unmoved by them.
This is why integrating prayer into our Bible reading is essential. We need to ask God, "Show me your glory" (Exodus 33:18). The Bible teaches that prayer is the key to truly seeing and savoring God’s glory. Without prayer, we may miss out on the spiritual light that God is eager to reveal to us through His Word. As James 4:2 reminds us, "You do not have, because you do not ask."
The Glory in Understanding
The ability to understand God’s Word is a divine gift. It is not something we can achieve on our own; it must be given to us by God. This is why we pray, "Give me understanding." However, this divine gift does not negate our responsibility to engage our minds and think carefully about the text. As Paul advises in 2 Timothy 2:7, "Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything."
When we pray for God to reveal His glory in the Scriptures, we are not asking Him to bypass the meaning of the text. Instead, we are asking Him to reveal the full depth and richness of the author’s intended meaning. The glory of God does not hover above the text as some abstract concept; it shines through the words and meanings that the biblical authors intended to communicate.
To illustrate this, imagine someone reading Philippians 1:23, where Paul writes, "My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better." If a reader mistakenly interprets this as Paul wanting to leave Rome for a peaceful countryside retreat, they have missed the true meaning entirely. Paul is expressing his desire to leave this life and be with Christ in heaven, not to escape to a rural setting. The reader has not only misunderstood the passage but also misattributed a sense of glory to something that isn’t there.
This example underscores the importance of understanding the true meaning of the text. When the psalmist prays, "Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law" (Psalm 119:18), he is not asking for a bypass of the natural process of interpretation. Rather, he is asking for divine help to understand the text as it was meant to be understood, so that he can see the glory that truly exists within it.
Prayer Enhances Every Step of Understanding
Prayer is not a replacement for careful study; it is a complement to it. God’s guidance is essential at every level of interpretation, from the most basic comprehension of words to the deeper spiritual insights that come through reflection and meditation. Jesus Himself taught that God’s sovereignty extends even to the smallest details of our lives (Matthew 10:29), and this includes our Bible reading. Every insight, every understanding, every discovery we make in the text is under God’s providential guidance.
Therefore, prayer should be an ongoing part of our Bible study process. We should pray for God’s help in various aspects of our reading, including:
- Close Attention to the Text: Ask God to help you notice all the details in the passage.
- Illuminating Specific Parts: Pray for guidance to focus on the parts of the text that are most revealing.
- Cross-Referencing Scripture: Request divine direction to find other passages in the Bible that shed light on the one you are reading.
- Guidance from External Resources: Pray for wisdom in choosing books, sermons, or lectures that can help you understand the passage better.
- Personal Experiences: Ask God to bring to mind experiences that will help you relate to the text more deeply.
- Community Insight: Pray for friends or study partners who can offer insights you might have missed.
- Overcoming Personal Biases: Seek God’s help in overcoming any sinful habits or inclinations that might blind you to the truth of the passage.
- Writing and Reflecting: Pray that as you journal or take notes, you will notice details that might have escaped you during reading.
In essence, we should pray for anything that will help us see what is truly written in the Bible. By doing so, we invite God to make the text more illuminating than it would be through our efforts alone.
The Role of Prayer in Spiritual Illumination
Even after we have received initial enlightenment at conversion (Ephesians 1:18; Hebrews 10:32), we must continue to pray for God to open our eyes to the wonders of His Word. Without this ongoing illumination, we risk seeing the Bible as the natural man does, without the spiritual sight necessary to perceive its true value.
As Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 13:12, "We see in a mirror dimly," indicating that our understanding is still imperfect in this life. The "mirror" Paul refers to can often be clouded by various factors that obscure our spiritual vision. Prayer is God’s ordained means of wiping that mirror clean so that we can see the wonders of the Word for what they truly are.
Prayer as the Key to Deeper Understanding
To fully appreciate the beauty and glory of the Bible, we must approach it with a posture of humility and dependence on God. Prayer is not just a preliminary step; it is an integral part of the entire process of reading and studying the Bible. When we pray, we acknowledge that true understanding and appreciation of God’s Word come from Him alone.
This recognition leads us to pray for guidance at every step of our Bible study journey. We pray for clarity in understanding the basic meaning of the text, for the ability to see the glory of God in its message, and for the grace to apply what we learn to our lives.
A Continuous Journey of Prayer and Discovery
Bible reading is not a one-time event but a continuous journey of discovery. Each time we open the Scriptures, we have the opportunity to see something new and wonderful. However, this requires an ongoing commitment to prayer. We must continually ask God to open our eyes, guide our thoughts, and reveal His glory to us.
As we engage in this journey, we will find that our understanding of the Bible deepens, our appreciation for its beauty grows, and our relationship with God becomes richer and more intimate. Prayer is the key that unlocks the wonders of God’s Word, enabling us to see and savor the glory of God in ways we never thought possible.
Conclusion: The Beauty of Prayerful Study
The wonders of the Bible are available to all who seek them with a humble heart and a prayerful spirit. When we approach the Scriptures with a desire to see God’s glory, and when we weave prayer into every aspect of our study, we open ourselves to the transformative power of God’s Word.
In a world that often values quick fixes and superficial readings, let us be people who take the time to pray, reflect, and truly see the wonders that God has placed in His Word. As we do, we will discover a beauty that surpasses all understanding and a glory that leads us into deeper worship and a more profound relationship with our Creator.
