How does reading the Bible give us hope?
Written by Emma McCoy
2 minute read
When I texted Matt and Jessie last week, wondering what to do with the blog, I was given a very specific prompt (yay!):
When you think about people who seem to live with God’s hope, do you see any of these four ancient spiritual practices (scripture, prayer, eating together, hospitality) in their life?
Over the next few weeks at Spring Church we’re talking about how four ancient spiritual practices (prayer, scripture reading, eating together, and hospitality) lead to hope. I’m going to be writing about how I see each of these work in people’s lives. Can these practices give us glimpses of God’s future breaking in right now? Spoiler alert: the answer is yes.
For the last week of this mini-series I’m going to write about the spiritual practice of engaging with Scripture, which can include reading it, meditating on it, creating art from it, or discussing it. There’s a lot more ways to engage with Scripture than just reading it with a cup of coffee first thing in the morning (even though plenty of people like to do it, and there’s nothing wrong with it). I’ve seen a lot of ways that Scripture has changed people’s lives—rather than focus on one thing, I want to show you all the different kinds of practices that can be done with Scripture, what it looks like, and how this consistent practice might shape your life and view of God.
Reading Scripture and studying it. Growing up, I watched my mom and dad read the Bible nearly every day. I have a lot of memories of my father in his office or at the breakfast table, or my mother on the couch doing her BSF study. Reading the Bible was as much a part of routine as brushing their teeth. I see so clearly the fruits of this consistent study: they can both draw on Scripture in discussion, during times of joy or sadness, and enjoy the wisdom it brings in their lives. My mom can pull up a verse at the drop of a hat, and my dad knows so much about the science of reading the Bible and contemporary history. As a result, my knowledge of the Bible is deeper, and so is my knowledge of God and His character.
Meditating on Scripture. I’ve learned more about what it means to sit with a verse and really go over it from my friends Andrea and Deborah. As a part of warm-up before Spring Church we usually pray together and go through a meditation exercise. Meditating on a verse or chapter can look like reading it slowly and taking time with every word, memorizing it and going over it in your mind, praying with your eyes closed and asking God to bring some aspect of it to mind, or simply leaving space for the Holy Spirit to work. While this isn’t my go-to method of engaging with Scripture, I’d like to do it more because I can see how tuned in my friends are to the Holy Spirit and what God might be saying through His word on any given day.
Creating Art from Scripture. Now, if you know me, you know I like to write poetry every now and then. A lot of the poetry I write is inspired by Scripture and the poetry I find there. I like to read the stories and see where there might be more devotion, doubt, fear, and love, and write into that. I like to take God’s words and try to speak back to Him. When I write poetry, I am taking the longings of my heart and giving them to Him in the best way I know how. Other artists, like musicians and painters, might feel similarly. I just know that when I read Scripture I am inspired to reorder what I’ve been given into something beautiful, using the talents God gave me.
Discussing Scripture. Part of what I love about being part of the body of Christ is getting to talk to people who have different ideas about what it’s like to walk the faithful path. Though some might think that questioning any part of the Bible or church is wrong, respectfully and with curiosity asking questions and expressing doubt is a healthy part of a Christian’s walk. When I was in San Diego, I had a friend named Jacob who was in my small group. I loved conversations with him because he was so well-versed in Scripture he could start a conversation or continue it just by linking together different verses that had something in common. Discussing with him was often fruitful by how willing he was to bring up what he knew and listen to what others thought. Regularly talking with people about the Bible continues to shape my walk with Jesus in a positive way, whether I agree with them or not, because it forces me to think about what I believe and why.
Follow us on Instagram @springchurchbellingham and here on the blog for new stories every week!
Who in your life would you like to share this with?
About the author
Spring Church member, Emma McCoy (M.A.), has two poetry books: This Voice Has an Echo (2024) and In Case I Live Forever (2022). She’s been published in places like Across the Margin, Stirring Literary, and Thimble Mag. She reads for Chestnut Review and Whale Road Review. She’s probably working on her novel right now. Catch her on Substack: https://poetrybyemma.substack.com/