The Bible is anything but simple but Bible study doesn’t have to be complicated. The Bible is much more than the “stories” we are told as children. I have taught children’s worship and Sunday school at my church for years. It gave me many ideas on how to help my family and young children understand the Bible more fully without making it hard to understand.
Each time we finish a book in the Bible, a different person gets to choose a new book to read aloud. I have a bowl and write the names of the books of the Bible on separate pieces and fold them up. We alternate Old Testament and New Testament. If we just finished an Old Testament book, we choose one from the New Testament.
We start each day with our Bible reading. This can take anywhere from 10 minutes to a half an hour. It just depends on the book and how deep the discussion goes. As I am reading, I pay attention to see if anything catches the attention of my boys. If I see them perk up at the mention of something specific, I stop reading and ask them what they think about the story so far. We discuss different aspects of it and may or may not dig deeper.
I also stop to explain different parts of the Bible my children may not understand just yet. For instance, if someone broke a law in the Bible that is not considered a crime now, we talk about why God made it a law and the punishment for it back then. We discuss why we obey God’s commandments and why we obey the laws of our country as well.
I’ve been doing our Bible study time like this since September of 2018. Since then, I have noticed my children are more interested in our Bible time as well as more questions being asked. The questions have gotten deeper as well. I want my children to know the Bible for themselves and not be confused by it. I was very confused by the Bible when I was a child. I didn’t have anyone to guide me and answer my questions. I actually didn’t even read it much because I thought it was too complex and difficult to understand.
As I grew in my faith, I began to understand more and more of God’s Word. But, I wish I would have known more earlier on. That is my prayer for my children. If they grow up understanding and obeying God’s Word, they will have a better relationship with Him as well as be more mature in their faith.
Bible study does not have to be complicated. If you don’t understand a word, look it up. I like to have a concordance on-hand to help me because I don’t know all the answers. My children have seen me look things up from the Bible when I can’t answer their question. They’ve learned that it’s okay to not understand and it’s okay to ask for help or to look it up. The most important thing is reading God’s Word daily. Putting His Words into your heart and the hearts of your children.
