Many times we spend our time in the scriptures as we do in other areas of our lives. We’re in a rush. Life is busy. And our time for God’s Word sometimes gets downsized to smorgasbord “bytes”.
I remember when I was seventeen, my Dad remarked at what a quick reader I was. And, I took it as a compliment! You see, I would read an article, get the basic gist, and move on, whereas my Dad seemed to take ten times longer to read that same article.
I didn’t realise it at the time, but his method of reading and study was so much more effective than mine.
The problem of surface reading as opposed to in-depth understanding exists primarily, as I see it, because today’s online culture makes it just so much harder to adequately read and digest all this wealth of information that is right there at our fingertips, right there on our mobile phones, tablets and computers.
My phone is always buzzing and chiming with the latest notifications. In fact, some days it never seems to stop ringing. Everywhere I drive there are signs and billboards vying for my attention. And so, as a result, we tend to superficially “graze” even when it comes to the things that matter, such as God’s word.
But, over the years I’ve discovered (quite by accident) one or two things that can actually help me retain more information from those things that really matter. I found that by reading something out aloud, I was able to retain and recall it more easily.
I’m not sure why it works, but it does. The converse also seems to work: to listen to a friend read a passage of scripture out aloud. Their voice and intonation gives the passage a new, fresh flavour, and has often also given me additional insight.
I suppose that’s why I’ve always liked scripture reading as an integral part of Church services – a practise that actually dates right back to the those early days in the synagogue (as we read about in the Gospels) and later in those fledgling first-century house churches.
Reading out aloud might initially feel a bit awkward if you’ve never tried it before, but after a little practise, you’ll find your own natural tempo and voice, and you’ll probably be pleasantly surprised at just how edifying it is.
I suppose it’s all about quality reading, and not how fast one reads! Kudos to my Dad.
– John T Klassek
