Noting what a passage says about God: to know him better
We often read the Bible looking for what we should do: what advice, what example, what instruction. That is legitimate, but it forgets what matters most: the Bible is first of all a book that speaks about God. This quest invites you to read looking for what a passage says about him, then to note it down.
What it looks like in your day
After reading a passage, ask yourself: "What does this text reveal to me about God?" You can help yourself with a few sub-questions:
- What does he do? He creates, he calls, he heals, he judges, he forgives, he waits, he sends.
- How does he act? With patience, with power, with tenderness, with firmness?
- What does he feel? Does the text attribute anger, compassion, joy to him?
- What does he expect from those who listen to him?
Then write one or two sentences, starting from "God is..." or "God does..." For example, after reading Luke 15: "God is a father who runs toward the one who comes back." After Exodus 3: "God sees the suffering of his people and comes down to set them free."
For a beginner, this is an excellent exercise: it forces you to look at the text without getting lost in the details. If you are in a hurry, one sentence is enough. If you are shy, you have nobody to show your notes to: they are for you.
Over the weeks, you will build a portrait of God written in your own hand. Reread it from time to time: it is a treasure.
What the Bible says
At the beginning of his Gospel, John writes a sentence that explains why this exercise is so precious:
“No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.”
No man has seen God at any time, but the only begotten Son has declared him. By reading the Gospels, you see how Jesus acts, and you learn what God is like: if you want to know how God reacts to a leper, a widow, a man who doubts, look at Jesus. The letter to the Hebrews says it even more strongly (Hebrews 1:3): the Son is the brightness of God's glory and the express image of his person.
The psalms are also full of portraits of God. Here is one among others:
“The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy.”
When you read a psalm, try to note the adjectives: gracious, full of compassion, slow to anger, of great mercy. These are the traits God reveals about himself.
And to finish, a promise made to the one who seeks to know God: the prophet Jeremiah says that whoever wants to glory should glory in this, that he understands and knows God (Jeremiah 9:24). Knowing God is the first of riches.
Pitfalls to avoid
Making a God to your own measure. By keeping only what suits us (love, gentleness), we forget other traits: his justice, his holiness, his anger at evil. Read the whole picture. God is both just and merciful.
Projecting a human's traits onto God. If your father was harsh, you risk seeing God as harsh. If you were let down by someone, you will doubt his faithfulness. Let the text correct your ideas, rather than the reverse.
Stopping at generalities. "God is good" is true, but too vague. Look for a specific trait drawn from a specific passage: how does God show himself good in this scene?
Turning the exercise into theory. Knowing God is not collecting ideas about him. Your notes should lead to an encounter: a prayer, a thank-you, a moment of wonder.
Forgetting Jesus. For Christians, the most faithful portrait of God is that of Jesus. When a passage of the Old Testament troubles you, reread it in his light.
Today, after your reading, write one sentence beginning with "God...". Then say it to him as a thank-you or an act of praise.