You can understand the Bible as you come to God with a hungry, humble, and obedient heart.

This week, Pastor Adrian continued our Built to Last series by teaching us how to approach reading and studying the Bible. He reminded us that Scripture is God’s Word, written for us, and that understanding begins not just with methods, but with the posture of our hearts. As we meet the Author, ask for help, dig in, and come ready to obey, God opens His Word to us.

Unlocking the Treasures: Eight Keys to Understanding God’s Word

The Bible sits on millions of nightstands, collects dust on countless bookshelves, and yet remains one of the most misunderstood books in human history. Many approach it with intimidation, wondering if its truths are reserved only for scholars and theologians. Others have tried to read it, only to give up in confusion or boredom. But what if understanding Scripture isn’t about intellectual capacity at all? What if the key to unlocking its treasures lies somewhere entirely different?

A Book Unlike Any Other

The Bible isn’t just a book – it’s a library containing 66 books written over approximately 1,500 years by more than 40 different authors. Yet remarkably, it carries one unified message from beginning to end. While penned by human hands, these words are described in Scripture itself as God-breathed, inspired directly by the Creator of the universe for you and me to read.

The promises attached to reading God’s Word are extraordinary. Scripture speaks of strength for the soul, power to overcome sin, guidance for keeping our way pure, and even happiness – that word “blessed” we see everywhere actually means “happy” in its truest sense. There’s peace available, confidence in prayer, wisdom for decision-making, and even prosperity in the things we do. Not necessarily financial prosperity, but the kind of flourishing that matters eternally.

Psalm 1 paints a beautiful picture: the person who delights in God’s Word becomes like a tree planted by streams of water, yielding fruit in season, with leaves that don’t wither. And whatever they do prospers. Joshua 1:8 echoes this promise – meditate on God’s Word day and night, and you’ll have good success.

But here’s the most important truth to grasp: You can understand the Bible. It wasn’t written exclusively for intellectuals or seminary graduates. God chose to communicate His Word in common, everyday language – street-level Greek that ordinary people could grasp. The gospel is simple enough for a child to understand, yet profound enough to sustain a lifetime of study.

The Heart Posture That Changes Everything

R.A. Torrey, a highly educated theologian from the 1800s who graduated from Yale and later became president of Moody Bible Institute, understood something crucial: the most important factor in understanding Scripture isn’t methodology – it’s the condition of your heart.

Proverbs 2 lays this out beautifully: “If you receive my words and treasure my commandments within you, make your ear attentive to wisdom, incline your heart to understanding… if you seek her as silver and search for her as for hidden treasures, then you will discern the fear of the Lord and discover the knowledge of God.”

Notice all those “ifs.” If you receive, if you treasure, if you make your ear attentive, if you incline your heart, if you cry out, if you lift your voice, if you seek – then something powerful happens. You will discern. You will discover. Understanding comes when we approach Scripture with the right heart.

Eight Essential Keys

1. Meet the Author

True understanding begins with knowing God personally. Jesus told a religious leader named Nicodemus that entering God’s kingdom requires being “born again” – an inner transformation that happens when we surrender to Christ. The Apostle Paul explained that spiritual truths are spiritually discerned. Without God’s Spirit living in us, Scripture remains foggy. But when we meet the Author, everything changes. Spiritual understanding represents the highest form of intellect – not mere head knowledge, but heart knowledge.

2. Show Up Hungry

Honesty requires admitting that sometimes opening the Bible feels like a chore. We all have those moments. But there’s a difference between reading out of duty and reading out of appetite. The prophet Jeremiah declared, “Your words were found and I ate them, and your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart.” Before cracking open Scripture, pray a simple prayer: “God, make me hungry. Give me an appetite for your Word.”

3. Be Willing to Dig

Understanding Scripture requires work – mining for gold and silver, as Proverbs describes. Consider Psalm 23:1: “The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.” Every single word matters. The Lord – not a lord, but the only God. Lord – meaning King, the one with authority. Is – present tense, right now, not just in the past. My shepherd – personal, belonging to me. Shepherd – protector, guide, provider. I shall not want – a concrete promise that with Him as shepherd, we’ll lack nothing that truly matters.

When you see words like “shall” or “will” in Scripture, those are rock-solid promises from God. Digging into every word reveals treasures most people miss.

4. Bring God Your Yes

Before opening Scripture, come with a surrendered heart. Approach with the attitude: “God, whatever you’re about to show me, my answer is yes.” Jesus said in John 7, “If anyone is willing to do His will, he will know of the teaching.” There’s a connection between a surrendered will and understanding. Torrey wisely noted, “A will surrendered to God will do more to make the Bible an open book than a university education.”

5. Come Ready to Obey

Jesus told a parable about two sons. One said “no” to his father but later obeyed. The other said “yes” but never followed through. Jesus told the religious elite that prostitutes were entering God’s kingdom ahead of them because they actually obeyed. Understanding isn’t just about hearing – it’s about doing. James warns us not to be “merely hearers who delude themselves.”

Two powerful questions to ask: What’s the last thing God told you to do? Did you do it? If we want fresh bread from Scripture, we need to take seriously what God already showed us.

6. Read Like a Child

Jesus praised His Father for hiding truths from “the wise and intelligent” while revealing them to “infants.” Childlike faith (not childish faith) opens Scripture in remarkable ways. Children come to their father eager, hungry to know, taking him at his word without skepticism. They don’t assume they already know everything. Reading like a child means opening Scripture expecting God to speak something fresh, whether conviction or comfort, challenge or encouragement.

7. Study It as the Word of God

Paul commended the Thessalonians because “you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God.” When we read Scripture thinking “I don’t believe that” or “That seems old-fashioned,” we’re treating it as human words. But this is the Creator of the universe speaking. Approach it with the reverence and attention it deserves.

8. Ask the Author for Help

What other book allows you to sit with the author while reading, ready to explain everything? Jesus promised the Holy Spirit would teach us and guide us into all truth. James 1:5 offers an incredible promise: “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” Not “might be given” – it will be given.

Simple prayers work powerfully: “Help me.” “Teach me.” “Show me.” Ask the Author for understanding as you read.

The Most Important Lesson

Torrey wrote, “He who would understand and love his Bible must be much in prayer. Prayer will do more than a college education to make the Bible an open and glorious book.”

The posture of your heart matters more than any technique or method. God wrote His Word for you. You can understand it. And remember – you’re not alone. He’s with you every time you open those pages, ready to speak, ready to reveal, ready to transform.

The treasures are there, waiting to be discovered. All you need is the willingness to dig.

Pray before you read.
Before opening your Bible, ask God, “Help me understand. Teach me. Show me what You want me to see.”

Read slowly and dig in.
Choose a short passage, like Psalm 23:1, and pay attention to each word. Ask what it shows you about God, yourself, and how to live.

Bring God your yes.
As you read Scripture this week, ask, “What is God inviting me to obey?” Then take one practical step of obedience.

Preschool Question:
Who helps us understand the Bible?

Elementary Question:
Why do you think it’s important to ask God for help before we read the Bible?

Older Student/Teen Question:
What does it look like to come to Scripture with a humble and obedient heart instead of just reading it for information?

Encouragement for Parents:
You don’t have to have all the answers to lead your kids in God’s Word. Model a simple, honest posture: “God, teach us and help us understand.”

Family Challenge:
Read Psalm 23:1 together this week: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” Talk about what each part of that verse teaches us about God.

God, thank You for giving us Your Word. Help us come to Scripture with hungry hearts, ready to listen and obey. Open our eyes to understand what You are saying, and remind us that we are not alone – you are with us and You love to teach us. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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