or whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope (Rom. 15:4).
At my wedding, my father-in-law, who presided over the ceremony, prayed that I would be a woman of the Word and a woman of prayer. After seventeen years, I am still challenged and convicted by these words. Oh, to be a woman of the Word and a woman of prayer! It sounded so simple at the time!
As women take on their responsibilities in marriage and mothering, it is tempting to think that a verse or two a day will do. The demanding schedule may press Bible reading time to a low priority. There is so much to do! But keeping ourselves in the Book will equip us to "fulfill our ministry" (2 Tim. 4:5) to our husbands and children, and enable us to discharge our duties before God joyfully.
Not all women are natural students. It takes discipline to read the Scriptures. It is easy to put it off until our tasks are done. By that time, we are either too exhausted to read at all, or our minds are so full of dozens of details, we may not pay attention to a single word we read of Scripture.
We need help and encouragement to get us into the Book, and to help us to become real students in Christ's school. As the Puritan writer, Jeremiah Burroughs put it, "Take a scholar who has great learning and understanding in arts and sciences; how did he begin? He began, as we say, his ABC, and then afterwards he came to his Testament and Bible and to his grammar, and afterwards to his other books." We need to begin to become serious students of Christ, and must begin with simple reading of Scripture.
John Bunyan in Christian Behavior said "The whole Bible was given for this very end, that you should both believe this doctrine and live in the comfort and sweetness of it." How can we live in the sweetness and comfort of doctrines if we don't know what they are? We must learn them first and then we can live in the joy of them. If we are only exposed to it a dab here and there, this is impossible.
Begin with a very basic plan to get through the New Testament. If you read approximately ten chapters a day, you will read the New Testament once a month. If that is too hefty, read five chapters a day. Sit down and time yourself while you read straight through five chapters (without backtracking or rereading). You will be surprised at what a small amount of time it takes. And that small amount of time would take you through the New Testament once every two months. If you do not understand something, keep going. You'll be rereading it again soon. When I finish, I jot down the date so I can see how often I have been through each book, and also tell if I am "avoiding" sections. You can do the same thing by checking off chapters on a Bible reading chart.
You will find that the Lord will bring to mind the Scriptures you are reading while you are working, teaching your children,
visiting your friends. Once it has become a pattern in your life, it will bless you very much. The Scriptures are a source of comfort, as Bunyan says, and the doctrines contained are very sweet indeed.
Christian wives tend to leave the "fat books" and theology to their husbands. While this may look "submissive" to some, it is actually disobedience. It is not enough that we know Proverbs 31, Ephesians 5, 1 Peter 3, and 1 Corinthians 11 & 14. We have to know more than how to be a good wife. Afterall, our first calling is to be a good Christian, and if we are good Christians, we will be good wives and mothers. We musn't be afraid to study topics other than those which are related to being a wife and mother. We see in Scripture that women became disciples along with the men. What is a disciple? It is not a mindless follower. A disciple is a student -- someone enrolled in the class.
This can even be seen in passages of Scripture which some have sinfully misunderstood and written off as "anti-women." When Paul prohibits women from teaching men, he (in the same breath) requires Christian women to be students of the Word. Let a woman learn . . . (1 Tim. 2:11).
Because biblical learning is required of us, we ought not to be afraid of it. We must overcome our ignorance! Along with Bible reading, we must avoid bad teaching, whether it is on TV, in Christian books, or from the pulpit. We must seek out good teaching. We ought to read good, solid books on Christian doctrine. It is good for us! We must cultivate a taste for books that will build us up in the faith -- not take us to fantasy land.
You might want to start with biographies of saints greatly used by God in the past. Be selective. Look to your husband for suggestions. Pick up booklets from your church booktable -- they aren't too intimidating. Work your way into more and more solid Christian literature. Just read a page or two at a time if need be, and never at the expense of your Bible reading time.
If you miss church, request a tape. Take sermon notes, jot down questions, and afterwards ask your husband questions. Burroughs asks us how many sermons we have heard, and how many sermons we have learned. (This raises the question of how a woman is to learn when her husband refuses to lead spiritually, but that is the subject of another column.) The more you read, the more you will find your thoughts and conversation reflecting your reading, and the more you will want to read.
May we all increasingly become women of the Word.
