Skip to main content

Ten ways to approach family Bible time

Author: Esther King, 20 July 2021

What does reading the Bible look like in your family? Do you set aside time to read it together?

Families are often loud, messy and imperfect, and perhaps you’ve been disheartened by the gap between your expectations and the lived reality of trying to read the Bible together. Don’t give up!

Here are ten things to try before, during and after family Bible time:

Before

Take a deep breath

Your minds might be full of all kinds of stuff distracting you. It might help to jot down things you’re stressed about remembering, or any ‘to dos’, for later so you can focus and be in the moment.

Talk about it

What are you thankful for today? What is bothering you? Do you need help with something? Could you do something to help someone else in the family after Bible time? You can have these conversations at any time during the day, such as when you’re traveling home from school or during dinner time.

Get right with each other

It can be difficult to read the Bible together if you’re feeling angry or upset with each other. Do you need to talk anything over? Do you need to say sorry or forgive anyone? Do you all need a group hug? This bit can’t be rushed. It’s very important.

Ask God for help

God speaks to us through his word. It’s always good to pray, asking him for help to hear what he’s saying.

During

Don’t rush/be flexible

Spending time reading the Bible, thinking, talking and praying isn’t a race or competition. The point is to spend time with God, not to complete things in a set time. If you don’t cover everything but you’re having a deep conversation or tackling things that are important, there’s always tomorrow to continue.

Make it a safe space

There’s no such thing as a silly question. Make sure everyone feels safe to share their thoughts, feelings and even doubts about what you’ve read and to ask any questions they might have.

Don’t panic

It’s OK if you don’t understand something or know the answers immediately. It’s good to model what it looks like to spend time thinking things over as well as how and where to look for answers. It’s also OK to park questions with God and trust him to answer some of them later.

After

When it feels uncomfortable …

Sometimes we can feel uncomfortable when we read the Bible. It might be that we don’t like the sound of something we read, or we realise that something about us needs to change, or perhaps we need to say sorry to God. This is very normal! Don’t ignore it when this happens but pray about it, remembering that God loves you, cares about your struggles and wants to hear from you.

Have fun and praise God

God wants us to enjoy spending time with him and there’s a lot of good news in the Bible. The more you read it, the more amazing you’ll realise God is and the more joy you will find in his word and his promises.

Pray together

You can pray about anything, big or small, general or specific and personal. Don’t forget to pray for each other – it’s very encouraging when someone prays for you and special that you can pray for them too.


Share this:

More articles about the Bible

What does the Bible say about legacy?

Today, when we think about ‘legacy’ we probably think first of making sure our money and property are passed down to the next generation when we die. In Bible times, too, this was an important concern, and people’s first...

Scripture in the Kitchen: David’s blessed buns

The thought behind ‘Scripture in the Kitchen’ is to be mindful of God while doing an everyday task. In this case, cooking – ladle in one hand, Bible in the other, so to speak. Maybe sing a song of thanksgiving as you...

What happened on Easter Sunday?

What actually happened on Easter Sunday? In this part of the world, only a minority associate Easter with a crucified man returning from the grave. We’ve all been to school. We’ve done our basic history, physics, and biology...
Read the Bible icon Read the Bible
Open the full Bible