“Didn’t you ever read this in the Scriptures?” (Mark 10:12a NLT).
The reading specialist at the middle school I work for recently took another job. I doubt her position will be filled soon because of the severe teacher shortage. I’ve never seriously considered working for a school long term. As a child, I never appreciated all the hard work the teachers and staff put in for me and my classmates. Teaching is a difficult profession, an underappreciated one, and one that is of utmost importance to not only the future of individual students but of our country as a whole. This is my third year working in a library, and I’m sadden by how many students can’t read very well if at all. An eighth grade teacher told me she wanted her students to use their digital textbooks because then they could use the audio feature and essentially have the book read to them.
In all of the devotionals I’ve written, the word “read” appears 84 times. Is reading essential for knowing Jesus and accepting Him as your Savior? No, of course not! So why is reading such an important skill? Reading opens the flood gates of knowledge. If you can read, you can explore God’s word for yourself, yes it is a translation, unless you can read Greek or Hebrew, but even reading a translation is better than needing to rely on someone or something else to read it to you. Don’t get me wrong, I love audio books. I love audio Bibles! Audio resources are important especially for those with vision problems or who retain information better from listening. However, those who have the option to learn the written word should not neglect reading simply because audio books are available.
Jesus often asked those listening to Him if they had “read” certain passages of Scripture. How many times have we ourselves read a section of scripture and not fully understood what it said? The most important aspect of reading is whether or not we understand the material. Even those academics who studied scripture missed points that Jesus questioned them about. Reading God’s Word requires not just a written book or an audio book but the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We must pray for the Spirit to open our hearts and minds to understand what we read. We must want to learn. We should take advantage of all the tools available to us so we can be the best possible students for His glory!