NIV Once-A-Day At the Table Family DevotionalSample

God’s Interpreter

• Why do some people consider the Bible intimidating or hard to understand?
• What do you do when you read something you don’t understand in the Bible?

Are you comfortable with the Bible? Many people aren’t. Some are intimidated by its size. Others get lost in all the old traditions and strange stories. Still others have a hard time understanding the actual words — ​even in modern translations. Because the Bible is not like any other book ever written, some people have a hard time getting into it.

God understands the limits of our human minds. He should — ​he created them. And he really wants us to understand what is in his Word. So he sends his Holy Spirit to act as an interpreter for us. The Holy Spirit takes the words of the Bible and translates them in a personal way so that we understand not only what they mean but also how we can use them in our lives.

The secret to understanding Scripture is to pray before and after you read it. Before you start to read, ask the Holy Spirit to clear your mind of any distractions. Ask him to help you focus on the words in front of you. After you read, ask him to help you find ways to use what you read in your daily life.

Dear God, thank you for giving us your Holy Spirit to help us understand your Word. Give us the wisdom to understand Scripture and use it in our daily lives. Amen.