The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple. (Ps. 119:130)
Expanded Passage: Psalm 119:129-131
I am a high school math teacher. Geometry is my favorite class to teach, and often the one students struggle with the most. Trying to get teenagers to explain their thought process and write down steps to solving a problem takes great patience. I often get asked, “Why do I need to explain the process? I know the answer.” I have a couple responses to that, but one of them is, “Can you teach someone else how to do what you did?” Having an answer to a problem is great, but having the explanation of how to get to that answer will be useful throughout life.
Some people think they need to be a Bible scholar to understand what God’s Word says, but his Word teaches in very simple ways. The first step to writing a proof in geometry is very easy; it is just restating the given information in the problem. The information is right in front of the student, and some still do not even try to begin. If you have trouble understanding Scripture, perhaps try restating it in your own words. How would you tell someone what you just read about? Ask the Holy Spirit to use that information to make the Word alive and relevant right now. God’s desire is for us to read his Word. His promise is that he will give us light and understanding.
Read with the expectation for God to reveal something to you.
Beverly Kimball is a Wesleyan pastor’s wife, mathematics teacher, speaker, and author. She is a graduate of Oklahoma Wesleyan University (OK) and is working on a master’s in trauma and resiliency.
© 2025 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
