Luke 24:45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.

We really do need God’s help to grasp what He has said in His Word. I don’t have the Greek in front of me, but where the NIV says “He opened their minds,” the Japanese says, “He opened their hearts.” Also, the term the Japanese uses for “understand” isn’t just intellectual understanding, but a grasping of the totality of what is involved. The noun form of the word, satori, has even entered the English language because it is the goal of Buddhist meditation. It is good to meditate on the Word, and the Bible itself instructs us to do so, but we can only achieve “enlightenment” by the help of God. Paul expressed it in terms of spiritual things being discerned only by the Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 2:14) At this point the Holy Spirit had not yet been poured out, so Jesus Himself opened their hearts/minds to grasp what had been there all along about Him in the Bible. Any time we open the Bible to read, we need to ask the Holy Spirit to open our hearts/minds to receive not only what the passage means in a broad sense, but also what the Father wants to say to us through the passage right now. That is enlightenment!

I couldn’t begin to count the number of times I’ve been reading a familiar passage and the Holy Spirit has given me fresh understanding and/or specific guidance for a particular situation I was facing. I read through the Bible for the first time before I was a teenager, and I have read through it many times since, but I still encounter verses or insights that seem completely new and fresh to me. That’s one of the reasons I am eager to read the Bible each morning, even though I’m following a Daily Bible Reading list that I myself have drawn up! It is certainly a major reason why I strive to encourage every believer to have a faithful habit of daily devotions, preferably first thing in the morning. God is faithful, and He always meets with those who seek Him through His Word. Those who read the Bible strictly as literature, or from some other motivation, don’t get even a fraction of what is available to those who read out of a love and hunger for God.

Father, You are so faithful! Thank You for the magnificent things You did yesterday, and for all that You have planned for today. Help me flow with Your Spirit on Your schedule today, not being uptight about what happens when, but trusting You fully in every detail, so that Your purposes may be accomplished for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!