I’ve been reminded lately that Scripture is God’s story—not mine.

The story of the Bible can be summarized in one phrase: The story of God redeeming his people for His glory.

When you look at the Bible as one big narrative, made up of smaller stories, you’ll see it is all about God saving His people.

In a perfect three-act story structure, the subject is God, the problem is our sin that has corrupted our relationship with a holy God, and the story arc is of God rescuing and ransoming us back to Himself.

Did you catch that? The Bible isn’t primarily about us.

We aren’t the main characters. It’s the story of God redeeming His people for His glory. Is it for us? Definitely, but it’s not primarily about us.

We are not the main characters of the story, so why do we open God’s Word looking for ourselves?

Maybe you can’t decide whether to take a new job or not. So you open the Bible and read Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” But reading that verse only frustrates you because God isn’t spelling out His plans for you more clearly.

Or you’re on the fence about dating a guy you recently met, so you turn to 1 Corinthians 16:14, “And do everything with love.” But that only makes you wonder whether you’re supposed to have a friendship or a romantic relationship with the guy.

Some of us may be wondering, “Why didn’t God spend more time laying out who I’m supposed to date, what major I should choose in college, and where I should live?”

But this is because we have been fed the lie (through culture) that everything we do, including reading the Bible, should be about us.

Yet if I open the Bible and immediately look for myself in it, is that really worship? If I go to the Bible looking for answers only during times of personal crisis, is that showing faith-filled dependence on God, or is it treating Him like He’s a magic genie?

Going to the Bible, only looking for solutions to our problems, is taking the Bible that displays the story of God redeeming his people for His glory and manipulating it to be our own story.

Again: It’s for you, but it’s not about you; it’s about Him!

And, ironically enough, if we read those passages in context and look at what the Bible actually says, it will end up affecting who we date, what major we choose, and where we should live.

But it will also do so much more.

Reading the Bible and seeing how it really is all about God makes our interpretation and application so much more powerful.

Taken from No More Boring Bible Study: Why Taking Scripture Seriously Is Easier and More Exciting Than You Think by Faith Womack. Copyright 2025 by Zondervan. Used by permission of Zondervan, www.zondervan.com.

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