Double tap, and keep scrolling

 

Did you stay with anything long enough for it to really sink in?

As we navigate our way through the busy seasons of our lives, our ability to really ‘stay’ with something is slowly waning. I know, personally, that I can be guilty of brushing right by things that I need to take more notice of.

Do you ever find yourself reading a Bible verse, having a brief thought of, “that’s interesting” and then moving on to the next thing?

Are you guilty of scrolling through your feed, looking at the pretty photos instead of reading the verse that is attached to it? Or the words written beneath it?

And maybe it’s not because you don’t care, but it’s what you’ve become conditioned to. It’s the way the world seems to work now.

We scroll. We casually read. Maybe we ‘like’. Maybe we even ‘save’, and then, we keep on scrolling.

Our attention spans have become so short that we’re always chasing the next dopamine hit. The next reel. The next post. The next story. And so, scroll, scroll, scroll we go.

What bothers me is we are beginning to treat the Word of God the very same way.

We read our few verses for the day, shut our Bibles and never stay with anything long enough for it to really sink in. We don’t sit with it. We don’t stay with it long enough for it to begin to change us.

Now, I’m not dissing Bible reading plans or short devotionals, I think they have their place. But I know that if I get the mindset that it’s just another thing to check off my list, I can find myself skimming over the words and not really meditating on their meanings and the application they may have in my life.

Did you know that the Bible was never meant to be disposable?

I’d like to bring to your attention a couple of Hebrew words that might change the way you see things.

The first word is Darash. This word means to seek. It means to actually go looking for something. To diligently inquire after something. To investigate. To search for.

We see it used over and over in the Old Testament. One of the more well-known places is found in Deuteronomy.

Deuteronomy 4:29 KJV - But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.

We see it in the Psalms.

Psalm 34:4 KJV - I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.

And again in Proverbs.

Proverbs 8:17 KJV - I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.

And in Isaiah.

Isaiah 55:6 KJV - Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:

And there are many more. Needless to say, we are commanded and encouraged to be always seeking the Lord. Diligently searching for him. Enquiring of him. Actively looking to him for guidance. For comfort. For strength. For help.

We are to seek him. And to look for the treasures in his Word. Not just casually notice as we go scrolling by.

The second word is Hagah. This word means to sit with the words. To repeat them. To ponder them. To meditate on them. To turn them over in your mind, even while saying them quietly to yourself.

Once you have sought the Lord, through prayer and reading of his Word, then you need to sit with it. Not scroll…stay.

Here are a few examples.

Joshua 1:8 KJV - This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

Psalm 1:2 KJV - But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

Psalm 63:6 KJV - When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches.

I love that one of the meanings of this word is ‘mutter’. As in, mumble under your breath. Letting the words roll off your tongue quietly, in thought.

What are we actually doing when we double tap on a verse or a thought and move on?

The Bible wasn’t written to be pressed into the small space of a reel or feed.

It was written to interrupt your life. It was written to transform you. To help you to understand the character of God better so that you see yourself clearly and realise your need for transformation and alignment with God’s will and image bearing of a righteous, holy God whose character we are to emulate.

Now, please hear me when I say that I am not against Bible content online. I’m literally using social media to publish what I’m writing right now.

But what I want to warn against is the casualness with which we often treat the Word of God as we scroll on by what we may need to sit with for a while.

I love that we can use the internet to get the message of good news out, but if all we’re doing is creating access then we are just sending out mini dopamine hits that are not working any change in lives and hearts.

So, in saying all this, what are we to do then?

I think one of the questions we need to be asking ourselves is this. Not “did I read something today?” but “did I stay with anything long enough for it to work a change in me?”. “Did I firstly, seek the Lord today and did I meditate on what he brought to my attention, or did I just scroll on by?”

How does this play out practically?

Can I encourage you to do something? When you read through something, a verse, a thought, a quote, and something stands out, STOP.

Turn to the passage in your Bible. Read the surrounding verses. Read more than just the verse. If you’re unsure of what a word means, then look it up. If you don’t understand, don’t move on. Go looking.

This is darash and hagah. Seeking and meditating. It is sitting with God’s Word and studying it. Every day. Throughout the day.

It doesn’t always have to be an hour-long study, but simply looking into the context of the verse or the meaning of a word will help you gain more clarity and cause growth in your Christian walk.

Let’s not become lazy in our reading of God’s Word. Let’s not treat it casually and only use it for nice, feel-good quotes to go with our photos. Let’s become diligent in searching out the Scripture more fully, applying ourselves to the study of the Word.

The next time you are tempted to scroll right on by that verse on the screen in front of you, STOP, and take some time to sit with it. Let it work in you. Meditate on it. Think on it throughout the day. And most of all, let it change you.

Remember, it’s not about how many times you’ve been through the Bible, or how many verses you’ve casually read as you’ve scrolled through your day, it’s about how many times the Bible has been through you!

How much of God’s Word have you stayed with? How much of it have you sat uncomfortably with and prayerfully pondered? How much of the Bible has worked to transform you?

Matthew 6:33

 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness;

 and all these things shall be added unto you.