Yes, begin with your reading plan (I’m talking a curated list of Bible passages and NOT the YouVersion devotionals called reading plans). Then, as you chase the cross-references, allow yourself to instinctively wonder what certain words mean and then look them up on free sites like @blueletterbible

Those curious instincts are the Holy Spirit directing your morning. He uses those word definitions to form the narration He wants you to see.

Have you ever noticed something in a passage you’ve never seen before? That’s God’s voice speaking.

Slow down. Ignore the dates. Stop the hustle of needing to read through the Bible in a year. Enjoy the scenery. And lean into the rabbit trails that HE wants you to take. Those are the things that make your mornings come alive. Those are the things that make the jump from idly following someone else’s prompts to morning digging that truly has no end.

IYKYK

Imagine a morning when you are so lost *in God’s Word that you lose all track of time - not because you have more lists of observations to make or four days’ worth of fill-in-the blanks to catch up on. But because you know what the voice of God’s Spirit moving in your morning looks like and, before you know it, you’re miles down a completely different morning path than where you started.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
School of Scripture doors open May 1st and, full disclosure, women who have completed it actually missed morning appointments because an hour of digging blew by and they had NO idea.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Set your alarm to register. And then, once you’ve completed it, set your morning alarm to remind you to put a pin in your digging. God will pick up right where He left off with you tomorrow. (You can see my previous post for the proof.)
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Digmywell.com/sos

I can only BEGIN to imagine the gobsmacked grief and devastating disappointment that SO MANY experienced on that Friday - as the women walked away to their homes, having watched the man they believed in their very core to be the Messiah take His very last breath.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
They expected a miracle that day. Every part of them believed it would happen, somehow, some way.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
They didn’t get it.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I know the feeling of lamenting a miracle that didn’t come.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
But Jesus turns His face toward yours, the same way He did to those women on that Calvary walk. He takes your face In His holy hands and whispers: “You’re so much closer to the miracle than you could possibly imagine.”
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
They followed Him to Calvary. (Luke 23:27).
They stayed until He died, watching (Luke 23:49)
They followed His body to the tomb (Luke 23:55).
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Then they returned (verse 56) and prepared spices and fragrant oils to anoint Him, honoring Him still, in His death. It was in preparation of the same anointing that Mary did six days earlier that is widely regarded as one of the most profound acts of worship in the entire Bible.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Still, when the miracle did not come, they returned home, and they worshipped Him.

It might not look “good” now, from this place in your story, at this moment in history, but He WILL make it good. I promise.

Looking to breathe new life into your morning reading?
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Try flipping the order in which you do it.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Are you leading with a devotional or reading plan first? Try this:
1. Read the passage.
2. Chase the cross- references.
3. Look up the word definitions of the words that pulled at your spirit.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
When you’re finished, re-write everything you just dug up into its own brand-new morning narrative. THEN, you’ll read the devotional, Bible study notes, or commentaries to unravel the knots and answer any lingering questions.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
When you arrange your morning in that order, you shift the weight and make space for God to speak. (Bonus Tip: Note any curiosities as you read—that’s usually His Spirit prompting you in a specific direction.)
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
The point of this? It’s to prioritize God speaking to YOU first. Then, learn from what He spoke to her after that.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Shift your weight.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
He’ll shift His in response because He is ready to speak to you as clearly as He does to her. And changing the order of your quiet time?
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
It just might change everything for you.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Get started at:
digmywell.com/free