A Short Prayer for Reading the Bible

Charles Spurgeon told the story of a Puritan engaged in a doctrinal debate:

When a certain Puritan had a dispute upon matters of doctrine with another, he was observed to speak very fluently and with great power. While his opponent spoke, he was observed taking notes, and one desired to see his notes, and what think you were they? They were just those words, “More light, Lord! More light, Lord! More light, Lord!”

A brilliant, simple, and supernatural prayer. It’s a great prayer to integrate into our spiritual disciplines.

More. Let’s not settle for what we’ve already seen, what we think we already know, or what we already enjoy. We want more. There’s a hint of passion here too.

Light. The Word is a lamp and a light to our lives. We want to see more clearly so we can walk more faithfully, carefully, and speedily. We don’t want to merely read—we want the light to shine. We want clarity. We want a sunrise of delight. We want the light of the world to refract through the pages before us.

Lord. Only God can bring more light to our eyes and hearts as we read the Scriptures. He is the author. The Spirit can illuminate our reading so we can know God, enjoy God, and obey God. We depend on God as we read his word. We read in his light.

When you sit down to read the Scriptures, make this prayer your own: “More light, Lord!”