This is done very quickly before I go to work, so apologies if there are any spelling mistakes.
Whilst listening to ‘Sir David Suchet in conversation with The very Reverend Dr. David Hayle’ on you tube this morning, they spoke about reading the words of the gospels out loud – not necessarily for some-one else to hear, but quietly, loud enough for you to hear yourself.
David Suchet said, “It doesn’t say ‘read the word of the Lord,’ it says, ‘hear the word.’ He said, when you look it up, hear is written many times throughout the bible so, it must be important.
My own experience is that I too discovered that reading the bible out loud to myself made a difference to my understanding of it. Somehow it makes better sense when you read it out loud. Maybe it’s because we naturally try to phrase things correctly when we are talking, whereas when we are reading, we can skip bits unknowingly.
Whatever the reason, hearing (or signing if you don’t hear) is important. Jesus said, ‘those who have ears, hear.’
Having said that, if there are people in the world who can only read without speaking – for whatever reason, speech problems or a situation that prohibits it. Reading, with prayer for understanding, is good. The most important thing is getting into the bible and discovering God. Whatever your situation, God can and will help you if you ask him.