Way back when I was a teenager, I started marking up my Bible whenever I read it. I’m not sure anyone taught me to do this I just found it helpful. I used different color highlighters, and pens, to highlight, write in the margins and date verses. Over the years, I have developed a deep love and passion for His word.   Highlighting, underlining and dating have opened my heart to hear from God in a deeper way.

It helps me remember principles the Lord speaks to me. For example, recently I highlighted Psalm 62:1. As I moved throughout the day, I left my Bible open and my eye quickly found the verse, “My soul finds rest in God alone.” When I saw the highlighted passage I was reminded, Hey, God wants me to rest today and simply relax with Him. I also find that when I underline and highlight verses, they become easier for me to memorize. Years ago, I heard Cynthia Heald say the more you memorize the more the Holy Spirit can bring those verses to your memory!

It helps me remember specific ways God has answered my prayers. As I parent I often pray scripture over my kids and grandkids. As the kids were growing up, I would mark with a date specific verses I was praying for them. Years later, I am able to return to those verses and see how God has answered my prayers. It is an immediate faith builder when I realize, Hey, God was listening and He answered my prayer! I realize more and more how deeply God loves me and how specifically He has heard the longings of my heart.

It helps me remember that God wants a friendship with me. My walk with Him is to be a deep abiding friendship. If I read the Bible as a text-book, I don’t feel the relational side of God as deeply. But, if I read the Bible as though God is speaking to me and I underline the words that I feel are specifically for me, it helps me stay in the conversation. I want to meet with God face-to-face just like Moses did. (Exodus 33:11) This is why it’s a great idea to think of your time with God as “Face time”. You don’t need a mac for face time with God, you need your Bible and some highlighters and sure do help!

I want to know God and enjoy Him as much as is humanly possible! That’s the greatest desire of my heart. Spending time in worship certainly has been a key part of my “Face-time” with God but reading His Word, underlining and highlighting it, has been a huge part as well. This week why don’t you choose a passage – John 15 is a great one to choose – read a portion of that passage every day and underling and date what you feel God speaks to you. Stay in the conversation with God. And hey, I’d LOVE to know if you’re gonna try to do this! Leave a comment and let me know, okay?