I have always been a fast reader. Ever since I learned how to read when I was four, I have been anxious to read more and more…and the faster I read, the more I can read. When I was little, my grandma didn’t believe I could read that way, so my mom had me read the newspaper for her. I have always read everything I could get my hands on.
My speed reading served me well during school. I usually finished tests first (because it didn’t take me long to read the questions) and homework never took very long. Consuming a book a day, I literally read every book (for my age group) in the library. As an adult, I found I am able to quickly read road signs, instructions, and strings of Facebook updates in a matter of seconds.
Lately, I have found myself speed reading in a place I shouldn’t.
After Giana was born, I struggled to get back into a good routine of quiet time. I really had a hard time figuring out when I could read the Bible and pray, so for awhile, I was sporadic at best. Not only did I feel incomplete, but my husband totally knew. He would ask me, “Did you get a chance to read today?” when he could just tell I wasn’t at my best. Thanks to the encouragement of a great friend/accountability partner, I finally have my groove back.
I have to remind myself now that reading the Word of God isn’t just something to check off my to-do list. It’s something to do prayerfully, with reverence The Bible is God speaking to me! I can’t just digest it in the same was as I do the newspaper or a band statement. I need to approach it with an open heart and listening ear for what I need to learn.
Slowing down today, I found new beauty in this Psalm. I read it several times and out loud just to make sure I wasn’t missing anything.
Psalm 33
Let the godly sing for joy to the Lord;
it is fitting for the pure to praise him.
Praise the Lord with melodies on the lyre;
make music for him on the ten-stringed harp.
Sing a new song of praise to him;
play skillfully on the harp, and sing with joy.
For the word of the Lord holds true,
and we can trust everything he does.
He loves whatever is just and good;
the unfailing love of the Lord fills the earth.
The Lord merely spoke,
and the heavens were created.
He breathed the word,
and all the stars were born.
He assigned the sea its boundaries
and locked the oceans in vast reservoirs.
Let the whole world fear the Lord,
and let everyone stand in awe of him.
For when he spoke, the world began!
It appeared at his command.
The Lord frustrates the plans of the nations
and thwarts all their schemes.
But the Lord’s plans stand firm forever;
his intentions can never be shaken.