Trying to remember where I’d put my keys, I ran from room to room. Surely, they had to be nearby! I checked coat pockets, the kitchen table and the small desk near the phone. I didn’t want to waste more time, but I needed those keys! 

My teenage daughter’s question stopped me in my tracks. ‘Mum, have you prayed about finding the keys?’ I had not.  I sat down on the stairs, bowed my head, and asked God to help me. 

As I opened my eyes and raised my head, I looked straight at the keys. They were hanging beside the door. In my search, I had walked past that door many times, missing what was in plain sight.

  

Sometimes we read the Bible and it just doesn’t make sense to us. Jesus appeared to the disciples after his resurrection and reminded them of what he had told them earlier and ‘opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures’ (Luke 24:45, NIV).

If the ones who travelled with Jesus needed his help to understand scripture, it’s not surprising that we would need to seek this help through prayer. Every time we pause to spend time reading scripture, we can pray that the Holy Spirit will open our eyes and guide us to new insights.

Prayer: Dear heavenly Father, help us to take the time to listen for your guidance so that we may understand what we read in the Bible. Amen