Martha Olawale

“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12

While unpacking a box, we found a Bible I used a few decades ago—one of the few things I still have from living in Nigeria. As soon as I saw it, I knew it. It was a close friend I had carried with me everywhere for years. I can remember sitting on my bed reading it and flipping the pages at Church to where the preacher guides. Seeing the compact blue Bible in my husband’s hand almost brought me to tears. No other book in the world but my Bible can make me feel that way. I remember the treasures I discovered from the pages of that Bible. The inside of the covers is filled with my handwriting. One such is an affirmation before I met my husband, “I am the daughter of the Lord, in whom He is well pleased… it is my heritage to be gloriously married.” 2000.

In a world growing at the speed ours is, it’s easy for us to lose sight of the blessing in things that seem little. It’s now a world of the more, the better. With the advent of information and technology came the boom of demand for more. We want more options for everything and, sadly, a quest for more information that is not rooted in God’s Word.

When asked about my Bible study habits, I often mention using devotionals from trusted Christian leaders. However, I always express the joy of opening the raw, unfiltered Bible's pages myself. I seek to approach the scripture with the awe of the underground and persecuted Christians who, if given a choice, will die for a few pages of the Bible because its efficacy is enough for them. In contrast, if asked to choose between Jesus and our convenience, those of us in “The free world” will cower in the face of opposition despite all our resources.

Agreeably, the prospect of understanding the Bible can be overwhelming. However, we can be comforted by the Holy Spirit being our guide. Jesus assured us in John 16:13, “However when He, the Spirit of Truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth; for He shall not speak from Himself, but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak; and He will show you things to come.” Trust in the Holy Spirit's guidance can give us the reassurance and direction we need in our Bible study journey.

I was fifteen when I started reading the Bible for myself, a high schooler with a lot of English language learning in my future. Despite my inexperience, my spirit and young heart felt joy each time God’s word was deposited in me. I could not get enough of the rush of learning with the Holy Spirit’s help. I wore my first Bible out in just a few years, and I’ve had many of them since then.

I love timelines and backgrounds, but we must not lose the message the Holy Spirit intends for us to grasp as we read. It’s as simple as “It is written,” which is enough to touch the right cords in our soul. One word, a phrase, a verse, or a chapter, whatever it is, when it’s the Holy Spirit’s interpretation, it changes your life. We can do our research for knowledge but expect the encounter to start with the first word as we read the Bible. It’s not complicated; just opening the Bible qualifies anyone with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to understand it. Psalm 119:130 says, “The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.”

Quote the scriptures; it works. Jesus quoted the Old Testament many times; each was a simple sentence or reference with “It is written.” For instance, speaking of His authority to testify about Himself, He referred the Pharisees to Deutrenronmy 17:6, saying, “In your own Law it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is true.” Also, in John 19:46, He eliminated the complexity of the details of cleansing the temple with burnt offerings with a simple reference to Isaiah 56:7, saying, ‘My house will be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of robbers.” We can’t know the Bible more than Jesus; after all, He is the Word who was with God from the beginning of time (John 1:1), so trusting the scripture as Jesus did will do us good.

While I believe in verified references, the younger, Jesus-hungry Christian me says, “Trust the Holy Spirit” to reveal the truth of God’s word to you, even as you use it. Approach the Bible as God’s guide for your life. He will tell you what you need to hear each time you read it. It is not a bunch of stories; it’s a book of godly principles and promises to help us navigate an incredibly complex world. I’m here because God’s word works and can give meaning to any life. God’s word has been a guiding light, leading me to where I am today. Psalm 119:105 aptly describes it as “A lamp illuminating my path.”

A single word in the Bible is worth more than a million elsewhere; it’s more than letters; every word in it can change your life. It changed mine because, without the truth from the pages of the Bible, I would not be where I am today, doing what I’m doing with my life and having the impact God has positioned me to have in other people’s lives. Hebrews 4:12 says it’s ‘living.’

We are getting too much knowledge in our minds to enjoy the abundant treasure of filtering our understanding through the Holy Spirit’s lens. We’d rather quote cute statements from people and books we read than God’s word. The problem is that their effect is like a sugar rush, and their spiritual energy dissipates quickly. They don’t last because they are letters that kill, not the Spirit that gives life. (2 Corinthians 3:6).

While I embrace the blessing of many resources from verified sources, especially those that help me study the Bible, I can’t deny the purity and simplicity of learning from the Spirit of Truth Himself. I will choose the Holy Spirit over a billion sources. It’s His word, and He knows what I need when needed. Just one verse has had numerous meanings in my life because there is something new to learn each time I read or hear it. If my understanding is limited to a single person’s interpretation or research, I will miss the many layers of the Holy Spirit’s interpretation.

When the prints of my small blue Bible became difficult to read, I got another one. I’ve had more Bibles since then, but seeing this old companion awakened something. It reminded me of how easy it was to take God at His word, even when it seemed more complicated. If a fifteen-year-old me was willing to follow Christ as I read His word and it got me this far, it would produce the same resolve in any human. Although my Bible today is much bigger, heavier, and more difficult to carry everywhere, I will treat it like I once treated this little friend. I am retreating to the simplicity of opening my Bible and allowing the Holy Spirit to walk me through the depth and richness of its truth.