Who hasn't, at one time or another, puzzled over a Bible verse? Skeptics may puzzle over the book as a whole. Many scholars have poured their lives into the Scriptures in an honest effort to understand and explain their profound implications.
Finding the meanings can be challenging. I remember pondering a particular biblical point that seemed difficult to comprehend. And yet it appeared essential to grasp the meaning of the specific point that had caught my attention. I examined several Bible translations. New views came to light. I extended my investigation by exploring a number of Bible commentaries—then reviewed background material in a Bible dictionary. Many interesting factors surfaced. The research gave me a much broader perspective. The context and setting came together more understandably.
And yet, as I sat back and considered all this, there was an unsatisfied, unfulfilled feeling; my need still had not been met. I began to pray—for enlightenment, for perceptiveness. A whole new direction of thought opened up. That aspect of the Bible became illumined in a way I had never before recognized. An important lesson was learned that night: the difference between a scholarly approach to discerning the Bible's message and a spiritually scientific approach. And I saw that, as useful as the former may be, it must always be subordinate to the latter.
