How to be a woman of the word

I underestimated the word of God. Over the last several years, studying the Bible with other women, I realized I was not alone. Many have had the same experience I have.

We valued it, we talked about it, we contemplated it, we applied it, and we meant to read it more than we did. The more time I spend in the word, however, and the more time I spend with other women who are in the word, the more God has shown me how lame my estimation of his word really was. I read the Bible like someone standing at an overlook over the Grand Canyon, trying to estimate how much water it could hold: “Up to 23 or 24 cups, I imagine! It’s just so huge and amazing!”

What changed my perspective? I started reading more of the Bible, at a faster pace, with many other women. A group of us began reading the word at a fast (but not furious) pace — about six chapters a day, and thousands of women have joined the challenge. Reading more, faster, and with others has shifted our perspective in some significant ways. We want to become women of the word, not women who dabble in God’s word occasionally.

Needs Met in Unexpected Ways

First of all, reading larger portions of Scripture at a faster pace shifts our gaze. If we select passages that only appeal to us in the moment, our Bible reading will be (necessarily) self-focused. Our application of the Bible will be self-centered, because we’re so fixated on our hearts, our desires, our feelings. It’s easy to treat the word like a vending machine for particular kinds of encouragement rather than letting the word shape and change us.

When we commit to reading the whole Bible, many of our days will be unexpectedly shaped by Old Testament battles, prophetic visions, architectural details, and stories of tender mercy. Our gaze is now settled on our God, on his story, on his plans. The word takes our eyes off of our emotions and our days, and lifts them up to high hills and the things of God.

If we read more of the Bible alongside other women, it also inspires more conversation about God and his word. When something jumps out in the text, and we mention it to someone who has been reading the same text, we experience a lovely (and unusual) blessing. I remember a flurry of conversations from last fall over the beauty of David asking God to spare the people from punishment for his sin and to let it fall instead on him and his household.

“We want to become women of the word, not women who dabble in God’s word occasionally.”

David has sinned grievously by taking a census (2 Samuel 24:1–2), and deserved the judgment of God. It was the only time I could remember someone in Scripture asking for the wrath of God to be poured out on him (2 Samuel 24:17). And the angel stopped the plague (2 Samuel 24:16). Despite what he had done, David was a man after God’s own heart. And not only was God’s wrath over this sin averted, but his wrath over all sin was eventually poured out on David’s household. Christ himself was born into David’s family to die for God’s people — the Son of God, the Son of David.

I don’t think anyone would have looked at a group of busy women — carpooling, shopping for groceries, working, running out to lunch, overwhelmed with various responsibilities — and thought, You know what will really bless these women today? The plague God brought on Israel because of David’s census. Let’s get them all to see Jesus in 2 Samuel 24, and find encouragement for their busy afternoon there. And yet that is what God did.

Living and Active in Experience

When our gaze shifts this way, we begin seeing our life through the lens of the glorious story God is telling. Often, we read something that does not seem to connect with us at that moment, so we simply read it and move on. Later, sometimes weeks later, it comes burning to the front of our minds with relevance. Now we know why God had us read about complaining in the wilderness last week. Now we know why he wanted us shaped by laments in the Psalms. Now we realize he was strengthening us with some real hope that we barely even noticed while we read.

The more the word connects directly to our lives, the more we see how living and active it is. The more we see our friends strengthened in the Lord for their everyday responsibilities and burdens, the more we see the wonder in what God has given us in his word — not because we affirm a confession that says the word is invaluable, but because we know its preciousness from personal experience.

We have felt it piercing to joint and marrow, encouraging, convicting, and strengthening our souls (Hebrews 4:12). We have seen the tender hand of our God in what we have read, and how that word has equipped us for every good work (2 Timothy 3:17). We know firsthand that this word from God revives the soul, makes wise the simple, rejoices the heart, enlightens the eyes, and rewards the faithful hearer (Psalm 19:7–11).

God’s Great Portrait of God

Reading more Bible also has the effect of strengthening our spiritual immune systems. When someone offers us an untruth, we know! Many women I have been reading with, for instance, have come face to face with a Jesus they do not feel like they know.

“The Bible is a sketch of God made by the hand of God.”

Our discussions have sounded eerily similar to the mob that followed Jesus around in the Gospels. “Did he really just say that?” “That was rude!” “How could he talk like this?” “Why can’t I understand his parables?” How could a Christian not recognize Christ? It happens when we have not been listening to how he reveals himself to us, depending instead on others to tell us who our God is, what he cares about, what he is like, and what all of that means for us.

The Bible you have on your shelf is not some kind of police sketch made by some observer off in the distance. The Bible is how God himself has chosen to reveal himself to us. It is a sketch of God made by the hand of God. This well is beyond any of our capacities to drink in fully. God must grow our ability to see him while we read, and continually make us new with what we read. He must, by his word, renew our minds, enlarge our hearts, strengthen our faith, and equip his saints.

Women of the Word

When we faithfully read the word, not dabbling about but really reading it all, it will change us. We’ll be changed in the laws, and in the prophets. We’ll be changed in the mercies, and in the judgments. We’ll be changed by the passages that don’t sit right with us at first, and by those that immediately make our hearts glad.

If God has given us this incredible gift, and we stand every day on the edge of its vastness, why do we so often try to talk each other into smaller and smaller portions? Why do we stick to the passages that look good on a mountainy background? Does the size of this canyon make you sick? some ask. Try the verse of the day! That is enough! Meditate on one word, maybe ‘forgiveness,’ or ‘compassion!’ Listen to a praise song! We settle for less because we are afraid of what this canyon’s vastness says about us. It shows us our littleness in making God bigger, our brokenness in making us whole, and our weakness in making us strong.

When the size of the canyon makes you feel like you aren’t enough, the answer is not to run away, but to throw yourself into it with a prayer:

Lord, make me more like you. Let me understand more of you. Show me my weakness that I might hold on to your strength. Lord, make me into a woman of your word, and in doing so make me part of your glorious kingdom work here on earth. Equip me to see more of you every day until I am in your presence.

I was doing the dishes in my kitchen while listening to a podcast when I heard something that caused me to stop in my tracks. The speaker on the other end of my earbuds was a woman named Jen Wilkin.

She was teaching a session on why it’s vitally important for Christian women to know the Bible.

The phrase that caused me to halt my dish washing went something like this:

“We, as American women may not be illiterate in the normal sense, but we are becoming more and more Bible illiterate with each passing day.”

I was instantly struck by that term — “Bible illiterate.”

Jen went on to share how many Christian woman today who grew up attending church on a regular basis, know very little about their own Bibles.

Their knowledge of the Old Testament and New Testament is so minimal, that even locating certain books of the Bible is a challenge.

Jen wasn’t trying to belittle or demean anyone, but was simple sharing the reality of what is happening in many churches today. She was ultimately calling modern Christian women (you and me) to become women of the Word.

After I finished listening to the podcast, I sat down and thought about my own Bible reading habits. Am I a woman who knows the Word? Do I love God’s Word and prioritize my time to study it? Am I competent in understanding the context, history, and cultural background of Scripture? Do I love my Savior more as a result of spending time in His word?

As these questions swirled around in my mind, I felt a mixture of emotions rise up.

I felt convicted for not prioritizing God’s word more in my life on a daily basis. But at the same time I felt a rush of excitement inside of me at the thought of becoming a passionate woman for God’s Word.

And so, with that — I decided to focus on one primary prayer in my heart, “Lord, please make me a woman of your Word this year.”

That specific prayer has been on repeat in my heart and mind this entire year. And as result, I have been so much more intentional to dig into God’s Word on a daily basis. It has been amazing!

As modern Christian women, I am realizing more and more how vitally important it is that we are not Bible illiterate.

If we’re Bible illiterate, we will not know much about God, His plan for redemption, His character, His ways, His truths, His commands, His justice, His Grace, or His love.

Bible illiterate women quickly become lukewarm women…which makes us very ineffective for God’s kingdom (Revelation 3:15-16).

As I’ve been studying God’s Word more intentionally, and striving to become a woman of the word, I’ve see 3 compelling reasons for why this is essential for us, as Christian women, to do.

1. A Woman of the Word Knows God.

The only way we can know God on a personal level, is through studying His Word. The Bible is ultimately a story about God from the beginning to the end. The more we study the Bible, the more we will learn about our incredible God and Savior.

The more we learn about our God, the more in awe we will become of who He is. That sense of awe and wonder will drive us to worship and love Him in deeper and more profound ways.

We will be compelled to praise His name like the Psalmist in Psalm 145:3, “Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable.”

2. A Woman of the Word Loves God’s Ways.

The more we study God’s Word, the more we will learn about God’s ways. God isn’t neutral on most issues. He has specific ways that He desires for His children to walk in. “Blessed is everyone who fears the LORD, and walks in His ways” (Psalm 128:1). 

By becoming women of the Word, we will gain true wisdom and learn to discern from what is good and holy, and what is evil and unholy. We begin to see through the lies of our culture because we will be grounded in God’s truth.

I love the way these verses in Psalm 19 describe God’s ways: “The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether.”

3. A Woman of the Word is Uncompromising.

In a culture that is rapidly disintegrating down a moral and spiritual landslide, we must stand firm on the solid foundation of God’s Word. We must know what God’s Word says, and then stand firm by His truth.

A faithful woman of the Word becomes a strong woman who is uncompromising on God’s truth (Romans 12:2). Just because something’s popular, doesn’t make it right or true . Regardless of how popular and accepted sin may become in our modern day, a woman of the Word will be uncompromising.

I want to challenge you to do what I did that day.

Ask yourself the question, “Am I Bible illiterate?” Then ask yourself, “How can I become a woman of the Word starting today?”

“When women grow increasingly lax in their pursuit of Bible literacy, everyone in their circle of influence is affected. Rather than acting as salt and light, we become bland contributions to the environment we inhabit and shape, indistinguishable from those who have never been changed by the gospel. Home, church, community, and country desperately need the influence of women who know why they believe what they believe, grounded in the Word of God. They desperately need the influence of women who love deeply and actively the God proclaimed in the Bible.” — Jen Wilkin

I highly encourage you to grab a copy of Jen Wilkin’s book, Women of the Word and begin learning more about how to become that kind of woman.

Let’s chat below.

• What problems have you seen as a result of Christian women not knowing the Word?

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In today’s fast-paced world, investing time in a business career, maintaining the home environment, raising responsible children, developing social roots, and many more time-demanding activities all have a tendency to encroach on a woman’s consistent attention to establishing her own deep spiritual roots.

Bible Gateway interviewed Bible study leader Jen Wilkin (@jenniferwilkin) about her book, Women of the Word: How to Study the Bible with Both Our Hearts and Our Minds (Crossway, 2019).

Your book is directed at women. How is reading the Bible as a woman different than as a man?

Jen Wilkin: Ideally it isn’t that different. Certainly men and women may interpret and apply Scripture in some ways that are gender-specific, but reading comprehension should happen in much the same way for both genders. In recent years, however, the resources written specifically for women tend to target our emotions before our intellect. I directed my book at women because I want them to rediscover the joy of loving God with their intellect when they approach His Word.

How do you compare rhumba tights with reading the Bible?

Jen Wilkin: As a little girl I loved rhumba tights but couldn’t stand that the frilly ruffles were in the back where I couldn’t see them. So I wore them backwards, which wasn’t such a great idea from a comfort or coverage standpoint. Rhumba tights were not meant to be worn backwards. Many of us approach the Bible in the same way. We want it to speak to us on our own terms, but it was not written to be read any way we feel like reading it.

What do you mean, “We must read and study the Bible with our ears trained on hearing God’s declaration of himself”?

Jen Wilkin: Many of us have been told that the Bible is a road map for life, an instruction manual, a sort of cosmic self-help book that will answer all of our questions about what we should do and who we should be. This kind of thinking can cause us to begin regarding the Bible as a book about us. The Bible is not a book about us. From Genesis to Revelation it’s a book that articulates the nature and character of God. Rather than read it to discover truths about ourselves, we must first read it asking what it teaches about God. Only when we do that does the Bible begin to show us truth about ourselves—not independent of Him, but in relation to Him.

How does the statement in your book, “…pleasure increases in something when we learn its history, origin, and deeper nature…” pertain to reading the Bible?

Jen Wilkin: Many Christians believe that the way to grow their love for God is by having repeated experiences of Him. If they feel spiritually dry, they listen to praise music or read inspirational writings, they journal or go on a retreat. But our pleasure in something (or in this case, Someone) actually grows the more we learn about them. We learn about God in His Word. So, to say that we love God implies that we would devote time to learning about Him in His Word. Otherwise, we worship an unknown God, attaching our uninformed emotions to a deity we know very little about.

What is the case for biblical literacy?

Jen Wilkin: I believe the church today is in a full-blown Bible literacy crisis. With the decline in expository preaching and mid-size teaching groups like Sunday School or weekly Bible studies, many churches now have no (or very few) environments in which their people are learning the Bible according to any kind of structure that builds literacy. Topical studies and devotional material tend to cultivate only a spot knowledge of the Bible. To gain a hearing, the false teacher and the secular humanist rely on biblical ignorance. We have proven quite reliable. I’d like that to change. I propose that we call the Church to love deeply the text that teaches us the knowledge of our God, that we reject anti-intellectualism as incompatible with a living faith. I propose that we demystify Bible study so that the church can once again reclaim her heritage as people of the Book, rather than as people who read lots of books about the Book.

[Also see our blogposts, Ten Obstacles That Get in the Way of Bible Fluency and The Church is Starving Itself: An Interview with Kenneth Berding.]

You say women should study the Bible with purpose, perspective, patience, process, and prayer. Briefly explain what you mean.

Jen Wilkin: In the book I offer a study method that incorporates all five of those elements. It’s a method that I believe is accessible to any student, whether she has a seminary degree or a high school degree, whether she has hours or minutes in her day to give to study. The method offers women basic tools to help them grow in Bible literacy over the long-term. It’s not a method that removes our emotions from our study of the Bible, but rather, one that helps us worship God with emotions that are informed by right thinking.

Bio: Jen Wilkin is a speaker, writer, and teacher of women’s Bible studies. During her 13 years of teaching, she’s organized and led studies for women in home, church, and parachurch contexts. Jen and her family are members of the Village Church (@villagechurchtx) in Flower Mound, Texas.

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