For our current blog series on the Bible, we’re operating out of this basic, foundational assumption: Because God isn’t boring, God’s word can’t possibly be boring.  It’s just not possible.  If God really is who He say He is, His word just can’t be what we sometimes feel it to be – it just can’t be boring.  However, even though the Bible isn’t boring, it doesn’t mean we may not experience it as such.  This means that when the Bible appears to us to be boring, the error must lie somewhere with us. 

Now, why we might experience the scriptures as boring is multifaceted.  Yesterday, we looked at one possibility being our approach to reading the scriptures.  If we read this with distorted motivations, we should not be surprised when we feel disconnected and disillusioned by the scriptures.  Today, we’ll look at a second area which may reduce God’s living, active, and razor-sharp word to something dull and lifeless: our expectations. 

As mentioned in yesterday’s blog, the aim of John’s gospel is to lead us into faith in Jesus and help us find life - real, abundant, eternal life (John 20:30-31) If we read the Bible looking for what the Bible never offers to give us, there is a very good chance we’ll experience disconnect and disappointment.  As a pastor, one of most prevalent distortions I’ve come across in my own life and in the lives of others is a reading of the Bible with an exaggerated expectation of immediacy.  We want what we want, and we want it now. 

Culturally speaking, we have an unhealthy dependency for immediacy.

When we wanted food to be served faster, we created the concept of fast food.  When fast food wasn’t fast enough, we created the drive-thru.  When the drive-thru became too slow, we came up with mobile ordering.  So, what if the food quality is diminished?  We want what we want now, and we want it faster. 

Back in the day, when we wanted what we couldn’t yet afford, we put something on layaway. But when layaway became too slow, we decided to put what we could not afford on credit, that way we could possess what we could not yet afford, even though that meant paying more later.

Microwavable foods, instant coffee, miracle weight loss pills, get rich schemes; the list goes on and on, but suffice it to say, as a culture, we have an unhealthy desire for immediacy.  In fact, I would say we’re not just attached to it, we’re addicted to it and far too often we bring this demand for ‘now’ into our reading of the Bible.

We want to open the Bible and immediately get hit over the head with inspiration.

We want to turn to a verse and instantly experience God’s presence.

We want to read God’s word and find ourselves overwhelmed and in awe of how God is speaking to us.

And sometimes that does indeed happen – but that’s not how things usually work.

The problem is, if what John’s gospel says about itself is true, then what’s being offered to us through the scriptures is relationship.  And if it really is all working towards relationship with Jesus, then we must understand that reading the Bible with a posture of immediacy will ultimately distort and undermine the relational aim of scripture just as easily as a demand for immediacy will distort and undermine any relationship.

You can’t hurry love.  You can’t force a friendship.  You can’t rush relationships and expect them to be healthy, holy, and life giving.

It’s a shame really.  Our unhealthy addiction to immediacy ultimately undermines the very thing we want most, which just so happens to be the very thing the Bible wishes to offer us: life - real, eternal, abundant life. 

So how can we shift our ways of reading the Bible away from an unhealthy expectation of immediacy?  Space and time won’t allow for too much more reflection here, so let me offer you a few practices that have been helpful for me:

• Focus more on the quality of your reading than you do on how much you read.  By reading fewer scriptures more intently, I often walk away more refreshed and encouraged that when I consume large quantities of scripture all in one sitting.
• Journal and pray through what you read.  This will put more emphasis on your processing of the scripture and make more room for the Holy Spirit’s leading.
• Check your surroundings.  Minimize distractions.  Create an atmosphere that promotes listening.  Make some coffee or tea.  Remember, this is about relationship and the best relationships aren’t rushed or hurried. 
• Try to slow down before you actually start reading.  If you come into God’s word rushed and flustered, this may lead you to read from that sort of posture. 
• If you read something and find yourself confused, don’t worry!  We don’t always understand the perspectives and views of our loved ones either, but that doesn’t mean we can’t listen. 
• Remember that our deepest relationships are the ones where we’re able to simply sit in each other’s presence without doing much of anything.  Perhaps God is trying to teach us through the scriptures to do just that with Him– to be still and know that God is God. ~ Psalm 46:10 (NIV)

The bottom line is this: God wants to lead us into life through His son Jesus and loves to use the Bible for this very purpose.  Anything that causes us to forget or lose sight of that, whether it’s distorted motivations or unhealthy expectations, needs to be questioned, challenged, and confronted.  God’s word aims to give us life and when our motivations and expectations are in alignment with those of the scriptures, we’re in a much better position to experience the life God has for us. 

So, the next time you read the Bible, go ahead and put that demand for immediacy aside.  The best relationships take time and there is no greater relationship than knowing and being known by God.