Curious About Scripture: Engaging with God's Word
How to Get More Out of Bible Stories—Using Only Your Bible
One of the questions I’m asked most often is simple but deeply important: “How can I get more out of my Bible reading?”
There are countless tools available today—Bible software, commentaries, videos, original-language resources—and all of them can be helpful. But what if all you have is a Bible in a translation you understand? Can you still have a meaningful, rich experience with Scripture?
Absolutely.
And in this post, I want to show you how.
Below are practical steps anyone can use to draw deeper meaning from the stories in the Bible—no seminary degree, language training, or special software required.
1. Start With Prayer
This is the most important step.
The Bible tells us that spiritual things are spiritually discerned. If we want to understand God’s Word—not just intellectually, but spiritually—we begin with prayer.
Ask God to give you wisdom, clarity, and openness. Ask Him to help you understand the meaning of the text and how it applies to your life today.
A simple prayer like this is enough:
“Father in heaven, give me wisdom as I read Your Word. Help me understand what happened then, and what You want me to learn now.”
Beginning this way sets the tone for everything else.
2. Approach the Story With Curiosity
When reading biblical narratives, don’t rush.
Don’t skim to “get through” a chapter.
Instead, slow down and approach the passage with curiosity—what some people call sanctified imagination.
This doesn’t mean doubting whether something really happened. Instead, it means asking:
What would it have felt like to be there?
What would I have seen, heard, smelled?
How would I have reacted emotionally?
This transforms a story from words on a page into a lived experience.
3. Example: Acts 16 and the Story of Paul and Silas
Recently, I preached a sermon from Acts 16 called “Learn Gratitude.” As a challenge to myself, I prepared the message using only the Bible—no commentaries, no Greek or Hebrew tools, nothing extra.
And I discovered something powerful:
There is more than enough in the text itself when we slow down and engage with it.
Let’s walk through part of this passage the same way.
a. Feel the Weight of the Moment
Paul and Silas were doing God’s work—casting out a demon, helping people—and yet they were falsely accused, stripped of their clothes, and beaten with rods (Acts 16:22–23).
Don't rush.
Pause for a moment.
What does it feel like to have your clothes torn off in public?
What does a beating with rods actually feel like?
How would you feel toward God if this happened to you while trying to serve Him?
You don’t need a commentary to know that bruises hurt, that fear is real, or that disappointment with God is something all believers face at times.
This is how you allow the story to speak to your heart.
b. Visualize the Prison Scene
Acts says they were thrown into the “inner prison” and their feet fastened in stocks.
Think about that:
Stocks are wooden or metal clamps that lock your feet in place.
You likely can’t lie down comfortably.
Your body is sore, bruised, maybe bleeding.
You’re cold because your clothes were torn off earlier.
There are probably insects in an ancient prison, especially around sores or blood.
In other words…
they weren’t sleeping.
And that matters for what comes next.
c. Notice the Small Details
At midnight, instead of complaining, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God.
That alone is remarkable.
But the next line is even more important:
“…and the prisoners were listening to them.” (Acts 16:25)
Why include this detail?
Why does it matter that the prisoners heard them?
This is a clue in the story. A seed.
And later, it blooms.
d. Recognize the Supernatural Moments
Suddenly, a violent earthquake shakes the prison, the doors fly open, and—this is key—everyone’s chains come loose.
Earthquakes can knock down walls.
Earthquakes can crack foundations.
But earthquakes do not unlatch chains.
This isn’t random.
It’s divine.
Just by reading carefully, you notice what Luke is showing us:
God intervened directly.
e. Ask the Hard Questions
The jailer wakes up, sees the doors open, and prepares to kill himself—assuming all the prisoners have escaped.
But Paul shouts,
“Do yourself no harm, for we are all here!”
All?
All the prisoners were still there?
Why didn’t they run?
What made them stay?
What did they hear in those prayers and hymns that kept them rooted when freedom was literally handed to them?
You don’t need a PhD to realize this:
Their testimony through suffering created a spiritual impact on everyone around them.
This is how slowing down reveals treasure in the text.
4. You Can Do This With Any Bible Story
This approach works anywhere in Scripture:
Genesis
Acts
The Gospels
Old Testament stories
Parables
Historical narratives
Whenever you encounter a story, pause and ask:
What am I supposed to notice here?
Why did the author include this detail?
What would this moment have been like?
How would I respond?
What does this teach me about God, humanity, and myself?
You don’t need speed.
You need presence.
Sometimes you’ll read a whole chapter slowly.
Sometimes you’ll stay on two verses for 20 minutes.
Both are okay.
5. Don’t Chase Quantity—Chase Depth
Many people feel pressure to “get through” the Bible in a year. And that’s wonderful if it helps you.
But don’t trade depth for distance.
If reading half a chapter slowly helps you:
understand God’s heart
see your own struggles reflected in the text
or draw closer to Jesus
…then half a chapter is more valuable than five rushed chapters.
The goal is transformation, not completion.
Final Encouragement
You have everything you need to grow deeper in your understanding of Scripture.
Just:
Start with prayer.
Slow down.
Use sanctified imagination.
Ask questions that bring the story to life.
Look for the heart of God in every narrative.
And if you’d like to explore this particular story further, my sermon “Learn Gratitude” is available on the Cloverdale SDA YouTube channel, and the sermon notes are on my blog at prmarlon.com.
May your Bible reading become richer, deeper, and more meaningful as you place yourself in the stories and let God speak through them.
May God bless you as you read His Word.
