Approaching Scripture the Right Way
The importance of knowing the God of the Scriptures far outweighs merely knowing scriptures about God. The Word is not just a collection of sacred texts but a divine invitation into the depths of intimacy with a Creator who is both intentional and deeply personal in His love for us.
To engage with Scripture as mere information is to risk missing its true purpose, for the knowledge of God is not confined to intellectual comprehension but is meant to bring about deep transformation. The study of Scripture, therefore, is not an academic exercise but a spiritual journey—one that renews the mind, softens the heart, and aligns the soul with the very heartbeat of God.
The Pharisees of Jesus’ day knew the Scriptures inside and out, yet they missed the living Word standing before them (John 5:39-40). In the same way, if our pursuit of the Word remains at the level of mental ascension, we remain unchanged. But when we approach the Scriptures with a hunger to know Him—to hear His voice, to understand His ways, and to walk in His presence—then the Word becomes living and active within us, shaping our identity, strengthening our faith, and drawing us ever deeper into the love of the One who first called us by name.
It is not enough to study Scripture as an academic text; we must allow it to shape us, to draw us into the presence of the One who spoke it. As A.W. Tozer writes, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” If our view of Him is shaped by mere intellectual knowledge, we may miss His heart. But if we allow Scripture to be the window through which we behold His glory, our pursuit of Him becomes the very essence of our lives.
Selah
Scripture: You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.” (John 5:39-40)
Principle: The importance of knowing the God of the Scriptures far outweighs merely knowing scriptures about God.
Quotes:
Charles Spurgeon – “To know God is, at once, the easiest and the most difficult thing in the world.”
J.I. Packer – “A little knowledge of God is worth more than a great deal of knowledge about Him.”
Pause for Thought: How can I make sure that the scriptures draw me closer to knowing God more intimately?
2. Knowing God is His Greatest Gift
Above all other urgencies facing the human condition, there is none so great today or at any other point in time as knowing God. This experience of knowing God is not a one-time encounter or intellectual knowledge only, but is at the very heart of our Christian message, that God has made himself available to engage with mankind in a deep intimate relationship with every individual in a way which is entirely personal and totally transforming.
The root of all our problems is not that God has forsaken us or is not interested in our situation, but rather we have not known God sufficient to allay our fears and abide in His Eternal Presence. In losing sight of God we in fact lose sight of who we are, for we are no less than made in the image of God, to not know the Lord, is to not know ourselves, or His purpose for our lives.
God does not relate to us on the basis of our own intellect or understanding, but rather on the basis of faith, that we choose to believe that He is who He says He is. This venture into the knowledge of God should be at the heart of all our endeavours and the reason for our motivation. God wants our hearts, because He wants us to know His.
This is our first call, to know God and make Him known.
From this place of abiding, we can hear the song of heaven, and harmonise to its rhythm. We can indeed hear the message flowing from the very heart of God. It is the most precious thing in all the world to be awakened by the whisper of God, to come into realisation, that in this generation today, God is looking for those who like heralds, will run with the message of His Eternal Purpose. The purpose which was set into motion, long before He ever spoke into the darkness “Let there be light”, and long before redemption ever became necessary, is there to be seen in plain view within His Word.
If the knowledge of God is the ultimate aim of our existence, then Scripture becomes the sacred pathway by which He reveals Himself to us. The Westminster Shorter Catechism profoundly states, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever.” This is not a distant or impersonal pursuit, but an intimate, lifelong journey into the heart of our Creator. God’s desire has always been for us to know Him, not merely about Him. True knowledge of God is not found in human wisdom, strength, or wealth, but in a relationship with the One who is the source of all truth.
One of the most profound ways God has chosen to reveal Himself is through His Word. The psalmist writes, “The unfolding of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple” (Psalm 119:130). This illumination is not reserved for the intellectually elite but is given to all who seek Him with open hearts. C.S. Lewis once said, “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.” Likewise, the Word of God not only reveals Him to us but also enables us to see everything in its true light—our identity, our purpose, and our destiny in Him.
Selah
Scripture: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows Me.” – Jeremiah 9:23-24
Principle: Knowing God is our highest calling and the foundation of our true identity, purpose, and destiny.
Quotes:
A.W. Tozer – “The man who comes to a right belief about God is relieved of ten thousand temporal problems.”
J.I. Packer – “What makes life worthwhile is having a big enough objective, something which catches our imagination and lays hold of our allegiance; and this the Christian has in a way that no other person has. For what higher, more exalted, and more compelling goal can there be than to know God?”
Pause for Thought: What areas of my life reflect a deep knowledge of God and how has that helped me in difficult times?
3. God is the Ultimate Revealer
Hebrews 1:1-2 reminds us that God has spoken “at many times and in various ways”—through the prophets and ultimately through His Son, Jesus Christ, the very Word made flesh (John 1:14). To truly know God, then, is to pursue Him through His self-revelation—both in the written Word and the living Word, Jesus Christ. Yet, these “various ways” of God’s self-revelation also include His creation. The stars and universe bear witness to the Revealer of Mysteries who chooses to make Himself and His Eternal Purpose known. Long before written the Scriptures, before the Law and the Prophets, before ink touched parchment, the heavens were already proclaiming the divine story. “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge” (Psalm 19:1-2). The Mazzaroth—the ancient ordering of the constellations—was not given for superstition or mere navigation but as a celestial testimony of God’s redemptive plan. From the beginning, the night sky was a canvas upon which He inscribed His purposes, visible to all who had eyes to see.
The sons of Issachar, renowned for their wisdom and discernment, “understood the times and knew what Israel should do” (1 Chronicles 12:32). They read the signs of the heavens, not with an astrological gaze but with prophetic insight, perceiving how God’s hand was moving in their day. So it is even now. Every clear night, the stars continue to shine forth their message, infusing the world with light and wonder, whispering divine truths to those who seek understanding. The great constellations tell a story—one of a promised Redeemer, of a victorious King, of a Bride prepared for union. The lion of Judah (Leo), the virgin who brings forth the Seed (Virgo), and the great warrior who crushes the serpent’s head (Ophiuchus) all speak of Christ’s triumph and the culmination of history.
Indeed, the stars shine with a testimony that belongs to eternity, yet they invite us into their wonder. When Abraham stood beneath the same sky that we behold today, God commanded him, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them… so shall your descendants be” (Genesis 15:5). Yet this was more than a promise of lineage—it was an invitation to see with the eyes of faith, to understand that just as the stars shine in their appointed places, so too will God’s purposes be fulfilled.
To those who seek Him, the night sky becomes a sacred text, a reminder that we are part of something far greater than ourselves. The stars are not silent; they are a celestial choir proclaiming that history is moving toward a divine culmination, that the King is coming, and that the Bride must make herself ready. As Daniel prophesied, “Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever” (Daniel 12:3). The wise still look upward, reading the wonders of God, understanding the times, and preparing the world for the return of the Bridegroom King.
Selah
Scripture: “He reveals deep and hidden things; He knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with Him.” – Daniel 2:22
Principle: God is the Revealer of Mysteries, declaring His purposes from the very beginning.
Quotes:
A.W. Tozer – “God waits to be wanted. Too bad that with many of us He waits so long, so very long, in vain.”
John Piper – “The stars are the embroidery of the heavens, the glory of the night sky, and the poetry of God’s handiwork.”
Pause for Thought: What mysteries might God be inviting me to discover about Him not only through His Word, but also through His Creation?
4. God Speaks Prophetically
The way God reveals Himself is inherently prophetic. He is not bound by time, nor does He react to unfolding events—He declares them long before they come to pass. As He Himself proclaims, “I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come” (Isaiah 46:10). God’s purposes are not newly formed; they have always been determined. However, our understanding of them unfolds progressively, and at times, these truths are restored. Some revelations are new to us because we are stepping into the time of their fulfilment, while others are ancient truths being brought back to light after generations of neglect or distortion.
This is the nature of divine revelation—it is both progressive and restorative. What God has spoken from the beginning is being unveiled in its time, but it is also being remembered. The truth has never changed, but our ability to perceive it does.
Some revelations seem “new” because we are entering a season where God’s purposes are being fulfilled in ways we have not yet understood. Other times, we encounter ancient truths—truths that were once known and walked in, but have been obscured or lost over time—now being restored. As Ecclesiastes reminds us, “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9). What we call “new” revelation is often a return to the ancient paths (Jeremiah 6:16), restoring foundations that have been buried beneath the tradition and religion of later generations.
A clear example of this dual unfolding—both revelation and restoration—can be found in Acts 15. The Jerusalem Council was faced with a profound dilemma: God was pouring out His Spirit upon the Gentiles in an unprecedented way. Yet, as they searched the Scriptures, they discovered that this had always been foretold. James, standing before the assembly, quoted the words of Amos: “After this I will return and rebuild David’s fallen tent. Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it, that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, even all the Gentiles who bear my name” (Acts 15:16-17, quoting Amos 9:11-12). What was happening before their eyes was not new—it was the fulfilment of what had been declared centuries earlier. Their challenge was not in accepting whether God had spoken, but in recognizing that what He had spoken was now being fulfilled in ways they had not anticipated.
This was also a restoration. The inclusion of the Gentiles was not an afterthought but had been part of God’s redemptive plan from the beginning. Israel had once been called to be a light to the nations (Isaiah 42:6), but over time, this calling had dimmed in their understanding. The Jerusalem Council was not just grappling with a new revelation but with the restoration of a truth long buried.
The prophet Amos affirms this principle: “Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing His plan to His servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7). God desires His people to understand His ways, but revelation is given according to His timing. Some things are being revealed for the first time because their appointed hour has come. Other things are being restored as God brings His people back to what was once known.
Today, we are witnessing a similar unveiling. Some truths long hidden are coming into the light, not because God has changed, but because we are stepping into the times He spoke of long ago. Other truths, once known and walked in by previous generations, are being recovered. Like the Jerusalem Council, we must be diligent to search the Scriptures, allowing revelation to confirm what God has already spoken, rather than resisting it simply because it does not fit our preconceived understanding. The prophetic nature of God’s revelation calls us to humility, urging us to seek His wisdom and remain attentive to how He is both fulfilling and restoring His eternal purposes in our time.
Selah
Scripture: “(14) I know that whatever God does, It shall be forever. Nothing can be added to it, And nothing taken from it. God does [it], that men should fear before Him. (15) That which is has already been, And what is to be has already been; And God requires an account of what is past.” – Ecclesiastes 3:14-15 NKJV
Principle: What God has spoken from the beginning is being unveiled in its time, but it is also being remembered. The truth has never changed, but our ability to perceive it does.
Quote: A.W. Tozer – “God has revealed Himself to His people, not in a way that man might choose, but in the way that God knows is best. The revelation of God is progressive, like the unfolding of a great drama, each act building on the one before it. It is the glory of God to conceal a thing, and the glory of kings to search it out (Proverbs 25:2). God’s ways are not always understood at first, but as He progressively reveals His plans, the beauty and depth of His eternal purpose unfold.”
Pause for Thought: There are truths and revelations that have been lost or forgotten over time, yet in these days, God is calling us to rediscover them. How can I seek the Lord with fresh eyes to see what I haven’t seen before. What lens do I need to view and understand His Eternal Purpose?
A Prayer of Preparation
Heavenly Father,
I come before You today with a humble heart, eager to receive from Your Word. Thank You for all the years I have known You and for the many times You have revealed Yourself to me. Yet, I long to know You more deeply still. I ask for the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation, that I might apprehend Your calling with greater assurance of faith than ever before, motivated by a deep and personal love for You as my Father, and Jesus as my Bridegroom King.
As I prepare my heart and mind to receive this teaching, I humbly ask for Your Holy Spirit to guide me into all truth and open my eyes to see what You are speaking to me through the Scriptures. Prepare me, Lord, to understand Your heart, Your Eternal Purpose, and the revelation of Your Bride. Let Your Word penetrate deeply within me, transforming my thoughts and desires. May I be strengthened, encouraged, and empowered to help the Bride get ready for the Great Day of Jesus’ Return, that I may be faithful to run the race set before me.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
