When we invite God to “open our eyes,” we’re acknowledging something important: the Bible isn’t just understood through effort alone, but through relationship. The Holy Spirit brings insight where familiarity has dulled our attention and breathes life into verses we thought we already knew. Suddenly, Scripture becomes less like a checklist and more like conversation—one where God is still speaking, still revealing, still shaping how we see Him, ourselves, and the world around us.

Highlights:
Scripture becomes more meaningful when approached with expectation rather than routine
Spiritual insight comes through the Holy Spirit, not just personal effort
Familiar passages can reveal new truth when we slow down and engage deeply
Prayer before reading reshapes how we see and receive God’s Word
Curiosity and openness create space for renewed passion in Scripture

Join the Conversation

Have you experienced a time when God reminded you that He saw your pain, needs, or circumstances? How does knowing that God is El Roi—the God who sees you—change the way you approach difficult seasons?

Continue the conversation with the Crosswalk community here: https://forums.crosswalk.com/

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Full Transcript Below:

Get Excited about the Bible Again
By: Whitney Hopler

Bible Reading:
“Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.” – Psalm 119:18, NIV 

When a friend invited me to a Bible study, I agreed to go just to spend time with that friend. I’d been reading the Bible for years, and it all seemed so familiar that I didn’t expect to learn much. But during the first session, after we all prayed together, I found a fresh perspective on a Bible passage I’d read many times before. That happened again and again during that Bible study, as the leader encouraged us to ask God to open our eyes spiritually to his messages for us. It was like finding hidden treasure! I was excited to read the Bible again. 

It’s so easy for us to read the Bible like a chore on our to-do lists, just like picking up the groceries or folding the laundry. We know it’s good for us, so we try to squeeze it in. But too often, we don’t really feel excited about the Bible’s messages. We might start a Bible reading plan with great intentions, but then we hit a section that feels confusing or dry, and we just give up. Or, we find one day that we don’t relate to the Bible verse of the day when we first read it, so we don’t reflect on it or try to apply it to our lives. 

But even when reading the Bible feels like an obligation, it’s actually an opportunity. Every part of the Bible can help connect us to God in wonderful ways if we’re reading it prayerfully. 

Psalm 119:18 features a simple yet significant prayer: “Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.” This tells us that we aren’t meant to understand the Bible just by using our own brainpower or willpower. We need to ask God to show us the “wonderful things” hidden in those pages that we simply can’t see on our own. That takes the pressure off of us to be perfect students and puts the focus on God to be the perfect Teacher – which he is, through his Holy Spirit. 

If you struggle with the Bible, it may be because you’ve tried to force yourself into a reading plan that doesn’t actually fit the way you learn or the season of life you’re in. You may think there’s only one right way to read and reflect on the Bible – like sitting at a desk and taking notes on every passage you read – and if you can’t do that, you don’t do anything at all. But God wants you to enjoy his messages! He wants you to come to the Bible with a sense of curiosity and adventure. If you find yourself stuck, you have the freedom to try something new. Maybe it would work better for you to listen to an audio Bible while you walk through the woods, or dive deep into just one single verse for a whole week and journal your thoughts about creative ways you can try applying that verse to your life. 

You can discover a fresh perspective on the Bible when you stop seeing it as a set of rules to follow and start seeing it as a wonderful place where God reveals his character to you. The more you ask God to show you the “wonderful things” this psalm talks about, the more you can learn about who God is and what God does to work in your life in wonderful ways every day. Your passion for the Bible will grow not from becoming more disciplined, but from becoming more in love with your wonderful God. 

So, give yourself permission to start fresh with the Bible today. Just pray for God to open your eyes to the wonderful things in his word, the Bible. God will meet you where you are and answer your prayer. Expect to be surprised by God’s wonder every time you read the Bible while praying for God’s Spirit to show you what’s really inside! 

Intersecting Faith & Life:

As you consider how to get excited about the Bible again, reflect on these questions: 
When you think about reading the Bible, do you honestly feel like it’s an obligation or an opportunity, and why do you feel that way? 
Do you ever find yourself rushing through your Bible reading just to check it off a list? If so, how can praying Psalm 119:18 before you start reading help you absorb the message into your soul? 
What kind of Bible-reading routine would you actually look forward to every day? What details would be involved – format, time of day, location, etc.? 
What’s one “wonderful thing” you’ve learned about God’s character recently that made God feel more real to you? 
What’s something that you’re wondering about who God is or what God does, that you’d like to learn more about from the Bible? 

Further Reading:
Jeremiah 15:16
Psalm 119:105
Hebrews 4:12
Psalm 19:7
Joshua 1:8

When we invite God to &ldquo;open our eyes,&rdquo; we&rsquo;re acknowledging something important: the Bible isn&rsquo;t just understood through effort alone, but through relationship. The Holy Spirit brings insight where familiarity has dulled our attention and breathes life into verses we thought we already knew. Suddenly, Scripture becomes less like a checklist and more like conversation&mdash;one where God is still speaking, still revealing, still shaping how we see Him, ourselves, and the world around us.
Highlights:
<ul data-start="1605" data-end="1994">
<li data-section-id="eci9pq" data-start="1605" data-end="1695">Scripture becomes more meaningful when approached with expectation rather than routine</li>
<li data-section-id="xcvthg" data-start="1696" data-end="1773">Spiritual insight comes through the Holy Spirit, not just personal effort</li>
<li data-section-id="1bfnf24" data-start="1774" data-end="1852">Familiar passages can reveal new truth when we slow down and engage deeply</li>
<li data-section-id="nydzcs" data-start="1853" data-end="1921">Prayer before reading reshapes how we see and receive God&rsquo;s Word</li>
<li data-section-id="vwmn63" data-start="1922" data-end="1994">Curiosity and openness create space for renewed passion in Scripture</li>
</ul>
Join the Conversation
Have you experienced a time when God reminded you that He saw your pain, needs, or circumstances? How does knowing that God is El Roi&mdash;the God who sees you&mdash;change the way you approach difficult seasons?
Continue the conversation with the Crosswalk community here: <a href="https://forums.crosswalk.com/">https://forums.crosswalk.com/</a>
Do you want to listen ad-free?
When you join&nbsp;Crosswalk Plus, you gain access to exclusive, in-depth Bible study guides, devotionals, sound biblical advice, and daily encouragement from trusted pastors and authors&mdash;resources designed to strengthen your faith and equip you to live it out boldly. PLUS ad free podcasts!&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.crosswalk.com/subscribe/?utm_source=subscribe_page&amp;utm_medium=YDBV&amp;utm_campaign=YDBV_PLUS">Sign Up Today!</a>
<hr>
Full Transcript Below:
Get Excited about the Bible Again By: Whitney Hopler
Bible Reading: &ldquo;Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.&rdquo; &ndash; Psalm 119:18, NIV&nbsp;
When a friend invited me to a Bible study, I agreed to go just to spend time with that friend. I&rsquo;d been reading the Bible for years, and it all seemed so familiar that I didn&rsquo;t expect to learn much. But during the first session, after we all prayed together, I found a fresh perspective on a Bible passage I&rsquo;d read many times before. That happened again and again during that Bible study, as the leader encouraged us to ask God to open our eyes spiritually to his messages for us. It was like finding hidden treasure! I was excited to read the Bible again.&nbsp;
It&rsquo;s so easy for us to read the Bible like a chore on our to-do lists, just like picking up the groceries or folding the laundry. We know it&rsquo;s good for us, so we try to squeeze it in. But too often, we don&rsquo;t really feel excited about the Bible&rsquo;s messages. We might start a Bible reading plan with great intentions, but then we hit a section that feels confusing or dry, and we just give up. Or, we find one day that<a href="https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/spiritual-life/what-to-do-when-the-verse-of-the-day-doesnt-speak-to-your-heart.html"> we don&rsquo;t relate to the Bible verse of the day</a> when we first read it, so we don&rsquo;t reflect on it or try to apply it to our lives.&nbsp;
But even when reading the Bible feels like an obligation, it&rsquo;s actually an opportunity. Every part of the Bible can help connect us to God in wonderful ways if we&rsquo;re reading it prayerfully.&nbsp;
Psalm 119:18 features a simple yet significant prayer: &ldquo;Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.&rdquo; This tells us that we aren&rsquo;t meant to understand the Bible just by using our own brainpower or willpower. We need to ask God to show us the &ldquo;wonderful things&rdquo; hidden in those pages that we simply can&rsquo;t see on our own. That takes the pressure off of us to be perfect students and puts the focus on God to be the perfect Teacher &ndash; which he is, through his<a href="https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/bible-study/scriptures-that-tell-us-about-the-holy-spirit.html"> Holy Spirit</a>.&nbsp;
If you struggle with the Bible, it may be because you&rsquo;ve tried to force yourself into a reading plan that doesn&rsquo;t actually fit the way you learn or the season of life you&rsquo;re in. You may think there&rsquo;s only one right way to read and reflect on the Bible &ndash; like sitting at a desk and taking notes on every passage you read &ndash; and if you can&rsquo;t do that, you don&rsquo;t do anything at all. But God wants you to enjoy his messages! He wants you to come to the Bible with a sense of curiosity and adventure. If you find yourself stuck, you have the freedom to try something new. Maybe it would work better for you to listen to an audio Bible while you walk through the woods, or dive deep into just one single verse for a whole week and journal your thoughts about creative ways you can try applying that verse to your life.&nbsp;
You can discover a fresh perspective on the Bible when you stop seeing it as a set of rules to follow and start seeing it as a wonderful place where God reveals his character to you. The more you ask God to show you the &ldquo;wonderful things&rdquo; this psalm talks about, the more you can learn about<a href="https://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/crosswalk-devo/god-is-love-the-crosswalk-devotional.html"> who God is</a> and what God does to<a href="https://amzn.to/4fbNBmU"> work in your life in wonderful ways every day</a>. Your passion for the Bible will grow not from becoming more disciplined, but from becoming more in love with your wonderful God.&nbsp;
So, give yourself permission to start fresh with the Bible today. Just pray for God to open your eyes to the wonderful things in his word, the Bible. God will meet you where you are and answer your prayer. Expect to be surprised by God&rsquo;s wonder every time you read the Bible while praying for God&rsquo;s Spirit to show you what&rsquo;s really inside!&nbsp;
Intersecting Faith &amp; Life:
As you consider how to get excited about the Bible again, reflect on these questions:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">When you think about reading the Bible, do you honestly feel like it&rsquo;s an obligation or an opportunity, and why do you feel that way?&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="1">Do you ever find yourself rushing through your Bible reading just to check it off a list? If so, how can praying Psalm 119:18 before you start reading help you absorb the message into your soul?&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="1">What kind of Bible-reading routine would you actually look forward to every day? What details would be involved &ndash; format, time of day, location, etc.?&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="1">What&rsquo;s one &ldquo;wonderful thing&rdquo; you&rsquo;ve learned about God&rsquo;s character recently that made God feel more real to you?&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="1">What&rsquo;s something that you&rsquo;re wondering about who God is or what God does, that you&rsquo;d like to learn more about from the Bible?&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
Further Reading: Jeremiah 15:16 Psalm 119:105 Hebrews 4:12 Psalm 19:7 Joshua 1:8

Are you a Christian looking for a daily devotional podcast to encourage, inspire, and convict you in your walk with Christ? 7 days a week, The Crosswalk.com Daily Devotional Podcast offers wisdom and insight for applying Biblical truths to the ups and downs of everyday life. Let's study the Bible together and through the experiences of other believers, learn how to apply the Word of God to our lives.

Here’s just some of what we cover in The Crosswalk Daily Devotional Podcast:

☕️ Why the Tongue Can't Be Tamed (And What to Do about It)
☕️ The Quickest Way to an Attitude Adjustment
☕️ Your Birthday: The Most and Least Important Day of Your Life
☕️ Noticing God's Blessings in the Hardest Moments of Life
☕️ One of the Sneakiest Lies Satan Is Telling the Church
☕️ How to Push Through the Weariness of Prayer
☕️ 3 Steps to Take When Facing Temptation
☕️ What to Remember during a Stressful Election Year

If you love what you're listening to on the podcast, be sure to check out our companion devotional at https://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/crosswalk-devo/.

Are you a Christian looking for a daily devotional podcast to encourage, inspire, and convict you in your walk with Christ? 7 days a week, The Crosswalk.com Daily Devotional Podcast offers wisdom and insight for applying Biblical truths to the ups and downs of everyday life. Let's study the Bible together and through the experiences of other believers, learn how to apply the Word of God to our lives.
Here’s just some of what we cover in The Crosswalk Daily Devotional Podcast:
☕️ Why the Tongue Can't Be Tamed (And What to Do about It) ☕️ The Quickest Way to an Attitude Adjustment ☕️ Your Birthday: The Most and Least Important Day of Your Life ☕️ Noticing God's Blessings in the Hardest Moments of Life ☕️ One of the Sneakiest Lies Satan Is Telling the Church ☕️ How to Push Through the Weariness of Prayer ☕️ 3 Steps to Take When Facing Temptation ☕️ What to Remember during a Stressful Election Year
If you love what you're listening to on the podcast, be sure to check out our companion devotional at <a href="https://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/crosswalk-devo/">https://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/crosswalk-devo/.</a>

7 days a week, The Crosswalk.com Devotional Podcast offers wisdom and insight for applying Biblical truths to the ups and downs of everyday life.

The Crosswalk Devotional: A Daily Devotional Christian Podcast

The Crosswalk Devotional

Get Excited about the Bible Again

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/5e27a451-e6e6-4c51-aa03-a7370003783c/clips/921a4d3f-84b0-43ec-9843-b463011bca70/transcript