We live in a fast-food world, and we sometimes bring that same hurry to reading the Bible.

Reading the Bible well takes skill. It’s easy to treat it like just another task for the day. You need to keep up with your one-year reading plan, so you skim through the day’s reading, close the book, move on, and forget what you’ve just read.

What if there was a better way?

What if reading the Bible was less like a task to complete and more like a meal to savor?

The prophet Jeremiah once wrote:

When your words came, I ate them;
they were my joy and my heart’s delight,
for I bear your name,
Lord God Almighty (Jeremiah 15:16, emphasis added).

How do you eat the Bible?

A 12th-century monk named Guigo II compared reading Scripture to eating a grape—an image I’ve found helpful.

How do you eat a grape? Simple: You put it in your mouth, chew it slowly, savor its flavor, and then swallow.

With that illustration in mind, here are four steps to savor Scripture.

First, read the text. This is putting the grape in your mouth. Start with a whole paragraph or chapter, not just a single verse. Read it once, twice, or even aloud. Let the words sink in. Get into the habit of reading Scripture every day. But reading is only the first step.

Second, meditate upon the text. This is chewing the grape. When I say “meditate,” I mean Biblical meditation. Reflect on the text deeply. Use your intelligence, education, common sense, and life experiences to wrestle with the passage. Ask questions. Raise objections. Don’t hesitate to use resources to help, such as a study Bible, Bible dictionary, concordance, or commentary. Don’t just let the words fly over your head. Stop. Think. Wrestle.

Third, pray about the text. This is savoring the flavors of the grape. When I get a good one from the store—I prefer them slightly firm and juicy—I’ll excitedly tell my wife and kids how good it tastes. That kind of joyful response is what praying about the text is like. Let the Word move you to speak to the Lord about it. Thank Him for the text. Ask Him to enlighten you by the Holy Spirit about what it means. Pray that He shows you how the passage should impact your life. Is there something in your thoughts, words, or deeds that should change in light of what the passage says? Does it highlight an area of rebellion or cold-heartedness in your life? Does it contradict something you thought was true but need to change your mind about? If the passage displays something of God’s amazing attributes or tells something of His gracious salvation, then praise Him for those things. Let the Bible change and stir your heart’s affections.

Fourth, contemplate the text. This is the part where you swallow the grape. Don't chew it and spit it out. Let it nourish you. Swallowing is a picture of contemplation. Again, I mean Biblical contemplation. While meditation and prayer are active practices, contemplation is a passive one. Be quiet and listen to what the Bible says. Receive its message. Believe it to be true. Submit your mind and your life to that word. Trade your questions and objections for childlike trust. Stop resisting it and begin to rest in it. Let that powerful Word build you up and transform you through renewing your mind (Rom 12:1-2). Move from being merely a hearer to a doer of whatever that passage says.

I hope those four lessons from eating a grape will help you gain more benefit from God’s Word.

The next time you open your Bible, don’t just read—eat. God’s Word is living, nourishing, and convicting. Savor the Word. Let it nourish your spirit and reshape your life. What passage will you chew on today?

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Send your questions or comments to shawn@freegrace.in.

Read his latest book, The Myth of Tithing and the Joy of Grace Giving by getting it from us or from Amazon.