The I Am Second Blog

What if I Don’t Understand the Bible?

K.R. Ledbetter — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 23:10:14 GMT

When you read Ecclesiastes 1:2 you do a double take: “‘Meaningless! Meaningless!’ says the Teacher. ‘Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.’”

You feel confused. This verse sounds pretty bleak. Does the Bible really teach that nothing matters? Surely not... and yet, the words are right there in black and white. What to do?

It’s normal to feel challenged when reading the Bible. It’s a complicated book that was written across thousands of years in a couple of different languages. Even Jesus’ earliest followers sometimes didn’t realize what the Bible meant, and Jesus himself was standing right there explaining it to them.

You will often encounter parts of the Bible you don’t fully understand on the first, second or tenth time you try. Whenever that happens, there are three important strategies you can use to help yourself grow in understanding.

First, pray. Ask God to give you the wisdom to understand his Word. Next, keep reading. The Bible usually explains what it means, either directly or contextually. Then, ask someone you trust for more information or insight. An experienced follower of Jesus would be a good choice.

Here’s how I tend to handle it when something in the Bible puzzles me.

Strategy #1: Talk to God

God is the first and best person to turn to when we read something in the Bible that we don’t understand. After all, the Bible is God’s own Word!

Aside from that, God knows everything — past, present and future. In theological terms, he is all-knowing. I love the way the Bible expresses this truth in Psalm 147:5: “Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit.” Talking to God, whose understanding is limitless, is a pretty smart first step.

Praying for Wisdom

When you ask God for help understanding Ecclesiastes or any other part of the Bible, you can specifically pray for wisdom. There’s a biblical example of praying for wisdom in 2 Chronicles 1. Solomon, king of Israel, earnestly sought the Lord, asking for the wisdom and knowledge to lead God’s people. Solomon didn’t ask for wealth or glory or long life or anything self-serving. “Therefore, wisdom and knowledge will be given you,” said God.

Solomon prayed for wisdom. Solomon received wisdom.

Just as God did for Solomon, he promises to do for us.

James 1:5 says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” Notice that God doesn’t give a tiny amount of wisdom; he gives lavishly, bountifully, openhandedly, abundantly. He pours wisdom all over you.

Even if you don’t instantly understand all the parts of the Bible that challenge you, God will give you wisdom when you need it.

When I turn my God-given wisdom toward the claim that everything is meaningless, I sense that there is more lying under the surface. Let’s try to gain more insight about Ecclesiastes 1:2 by comparing it to other parts of the Bible.

Strategy #2: Read Holistically

You’ve heard the saying that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Reading the Bible is like that. One part of the Bible informs our understanding of another part. The entire Bible tells the story of Jesus. The whole thing, all together. 

The Bible is an orchestra. If we read just one verse all by itself, we’re tuning out the sound of all the other instruments. That’s not how to listen to a symphony. To better understand the Bible, we need to learn to draw on the context of any given verse or passage.

Take Ecclesiastes 1:2. Everything can’t be meaningless because neither God nor anything he created is meaningless. Psalm 139 teaches that God created me, specifically and individually, with love and intention. That truth helps me realize that “everything” must have some limitations. 

Who’s the Author?

Let’s look a little further. While we don’t necessarily have to venture across the whole Bible to come to the bottom of the meaninglessness question, we can look within the book of Ecclesiastes for more detail, starting with the author. “The Teacher” is very likely King Solomon himself.

Think about it. Someone directly inspired with God’s wisdom probably wouldn’t say that life is pointless. Especially not given the famous ruling in which Solomon saves an infant’s life by correctly identifying the mother. Everything being meaningless doesn’t sound like what Solomon would believe. This pushes us to keep reading.

What’s the Genre?

We can also identify clues from the type of book that Solomon wrote. Ecclesiastes belongs to a genre called wisdom literature. In the Ancient Near East, this often consisted of philosophy about life in the form of dialogue (as in Job) or a rational argument (as in Ecclesiastes).

The Teacher of Ecclesiastes considers wisdom and folly, justice and injustice, pleasure, work, relationships, status and wealth each in turn, explaining through his life experience that none of these will last. His main point is that seeking after earthly gains ultimately has no eternal significance.

Okay, Solomon, I’m following your idea now. It’s not that literally everything is meaningless; it’s just that nothing on earth can compare to eternity in Heaven.

Let’s look at the very end of his train of thought in Ecclesiastes 12:13: “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind.”

The Sum of Its Parts

Aha! At the end of the book the Teacher explains what does have meaning. Given that earthly things are meaningless, we shouldn’t focus on what is earthly. We should love, revere, honor and obey God. This is our duty, our purpose, our calling and our joy.

Now that notion accords with what I know is true throughout the Bible.

Matthew 6:19-21 tells me to save heavenly treasure, not worldly riches. 
Mark 12:41-44 tells me to give everything I have to God.
Ephesians 2:8-10 tells me that one of the reasons I have been saved is to serve.
Many other verses support the conclusion of Ecclesiastes.

The Bible as a whole teaches that spending my entire earthly life solely in acquiring advantages for myself would not be living out my calling.

Strategy #3: Ask for Help

Although we may have settled a main question about Ecclesiastes 1:2 with the help of the Holy Spirit and other Bible verses, a lot more questions arise for me from the Teacher’s writing.

I’m considering a financial legacy for my descendants. Should I donate my estate instead? My career is in a secular field. Should I quit and pursue ministry as my vocation? Reading fiction is one of my favorite activities. Is it wrong to spend time on something that doesn’t directly serve others? I have chronic mental and physical illnesses. What happens when “utterly meaningless” feels more real than “fear God”?

I can and do bring these questions to God. He is my Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer! 

And when we walk with other believers in discipleship, more experienced followers of Jesus can share what they’ve learned as well.

Hearing More Viewpoints

For more perspectives on your questions about the Bible, I suggest asking for help from a trusted believer or group of believers. (Please note that the internet at large, while often a useful tool, is not a trustworthy source of wisdom.)

The people you seek for additional points of view might be any or all of the following:

Your Bible study group or church life group
A staff member of your church
Someone who has followed God longer than you have
A believer with a reputation for wisdom and insight

Now, I wouldn’t expect any of these people to take the place of prayer and Bible reading. Rather, I would listen closely to their experiences and then compare their opinions and advice to biblical truth.

If you asked for my take on this verse, I’d say it’s a stark, accurate description of reality. Without Jesus, everything really is meaningless. But with Jesus, our lives on earth take on the richest and most fulfilling meaning possible. We get to seek him, serve him and grow in our understanding.

Earnestly Seek Him

It requires faith to believe that God exists and wants us to understand his Word. It requires faith to believe that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Reading the Bible challenges our faith in the best ways. To understand more, we must seek God more.

If you lack wisdom — or faith or anything else that you need — ask God. He will reward your faithful Bible reading with knowledge and opportunities to serve. These are the treasures to store up in heaven.

Keep reading the Bible. Keep earnestly seeking Jesus.

How to Build a Bible Reading Habit

K.R. Ledbetter — Wed, 30 Sep 2026 16:02:44 GMT

If you peel back the layers of my personality, you will find at the very center... a list.

I’m strongly motivated by security, routine and predictability. I like to make a list for the day, and I especially like the feeling of checking off a task well done.

My strong tendency toward practicality helps me manage my life, work and home. Daily to-dos and seasonal house maintenance lists. Weekly health goals and annual wellness reminders. Lists of books I want to read, places I want to go and long-term life goals.

I also make a plan for what I’m going to read in the Bible, and if you’re looking to start reading the Bible more regularly, you should make one too. Not that reading God’s Word is a mundane task to be crossed out. Nor that the list is a dictator that has to be obeyed at any cost. Rather, it’s a beginning point, a benchmark, a baseline.

If you have a plan, you can adapt it.

If you don’t have a plan, it can be awfully hard to build a successful Bible reading habit.

But how do you get from “I know I really should read the Bible” to “I choose to read the Bible daily”? Here’s what works for me.

4 Steps for Building a Bible Reading Habit

God is always ready to meet with me whenever I open the Bible. Not once has he been late or distracted. He is always ready to meet with you too. In fact, because he is able to do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine, he will use your habit of reading the Bible for his glory. While you can count on meeting with God to give your day hope and direction, you might also find that he surprises you with how your reading connects to your everyday life.

My approach for building a habit of reading the Bible every day is to make a list, schedule my time, read with someone else and update my list periodically.

1) Set a Goal

Your individual Bible-reading goal depends on where you are in your spiritual life. Perhaps you are building this habit for the first time ever, returning after a long break or looking for something that will stick this time. Maybe something big has happened to you — a career change, a new family member, a diagnosis, a milestone, a loss — and you need regular time with God more than ever.

When you sit down to write your list of what you’d like to read, keep in mind that there isn’t a right or wrong. Reading the Word isn’t a sprint. It’s a daily nature walk with our loving Father.

Throughout my life, I’ve made many different reading lists. Read one Psalm every day. Read the Bible in a year. Copy out Romans by hand a few verses at a time. Memorize one passage, then another.

The point isn’t whether I achieved them all (I didn’t) but whether I showed up (I did).

A pattern of reading that I’ve found helpful lately is to rotate through a New Testament book, an Old Testament book and a set of thematic passages. For example, here’s a list of some of my favorites:

New Testament: John
Old Testament: Genesis
Theme: Making disciples
New Testament: Ephesians
Old Testament: Ruth
Theme: Songs of praise

2) Schedule Your Time

Once you’ve decided what to read, you need to plan when to read. Choose to read the Bible daily.

Many people prefer to read the Bible first thing in the morning, taking inspiration from Mark 1:35: “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” Jesus prioritized communicating with God by praying before he did anything else and by ensuring he was free of distractions.

This example also applies to reading the Bible. The most important moments of your day are the time you spend listening to God’s Word, so you should treat them that way.

It’s okay if you aren’t at your best in the wee hours of the morning. Consider pairing your Bible reading with an existing habit instead. Before you make your daily cup of coffee, read the Bible. Put on your gym clothes, read the Bible and then go work out. Immediately after brushing your teeth, read the Bible. Adding to something you already regularly do will help make Bible reading part of your everyday life.

It’s also okay if you don’t have habits that are just right for that technique. Consider putting “Read God’s Word” on your calendar like an appointment. Maybe you block off the first 15 minutes of your lunch hour on weekdays and schedule first thing in the morning on weekends. Or your availability changes every semester, so you read before class some days and between classes on others.

Most of us have schedules that vary day by day, but it’s important that every day always contains a few minutes to pause, focus and read some verses. Even if your time of day to read the Bible isn’t consistent, opening the pages every single day will be habit-forming.

3) Be Accountable

Reading the Bible with others helps build external accountability, momentum and motivation.In other words, we’re all more likely to maintain a daily habit if we have a partner who will ask us about it.

Read with your family. Parents, siblings, spouses or children who are believers are all excellent accountability partners. Some of my most regular Bible reading occurred while my daughter was an elementary student and needed my help with her weekly Bible lesson.
Read with a mentor. If you are fortunate enough to be discipled by an older believer, discuss how your Bible reading is going. Ask for help if you need it.
Read with a mentee. If you are fortunate enough to disciple a younger believer, read along with them to provide encouragement and support.
Read with your church. Use your time in God’s Word to prepare for your next meeting. Plan to share what you learned, if appropriate. When I led a small group at my church, I would read my assigned passage and related verses throughout the week before my turn.

4) Be Flexible

Nobody can read the Bible at exactly 6:00 a.m. for exactly 20 minutes every single day for their entire lives. That expectation simply isn’t realistic. No matter how excellent your initial plan is, it will need to adapt to changes in your life.

At an emotional low point in my life, maintaining daily habits became very hard for me. I knew that reading the Word was not something to quit during a difficult period of mental health. Yet continuing my plan to study the first five books of the Old Testament felt overwhelming, crushing, impossible. So, I set that plan aside and reevaluated what I was able to do.

Every day at noon, an alarm on my phone reminded me to read Colossians 3:12-14. That was it. Those same three verses were my entire Bible reading for many weeks until I felt well enough to revise my plan again.

Reading the Bible is often a joy, but in certain seasons of life it can be a struggle. When this becomes the case for you, revise your Bible-reading plan.

Make your goal more manageable.
Make your timing shorter or more flexible.
Change how you stay accountable.
Habits Are Daily Choices

Habits Are Daily Choices

Really quick, let me tell you one more thing I’ve learned about habits. Habits are actually just choices we repeat.

When I choose the same actions again and again, I’ve built a successful habit.

I find it easy to choose actions with short-term benefits, such as playing with my dog (funny) or reading a novel (relaxing) or eating a cookie (delicious). What I find more difficult is choosing actions with long-term benefits — the actions that take self-discipline and commitment, such as exercising or learning a new language or reading the Bible.

Reading the Bible is one of the many ways we obey and worship God. He saves us. He loves us. He is worthy.

Time alone with God’s Word is worth choosing every single day!

Where to Start Reading the Bible

K.R. Ledbetter — Mon, 21 Sep 2026 14:37:37 GMT

My daughter loves to read, as do I. But that wasn’t always the case for her.

3 Tips for Starting to Read the Bible

K.R. Ledbetter — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 18:43:51 GMT

One of the first Bible stories I ever told my daughter was based on the parable of the lost sheep. I started with the words “once upon a time” and then hit the highlights: shepherd and sheep, missing and found, joy and celebration.

Don't Walk Alone

alaina.mclemore@iamsecond.com (Alaina McLemore) — Mon, 31 Aug 2026 22:44:59 GMT

Have you ever questioned your faith? You’re a Christian, but your life doesn’t look like it? I think it’s safe to say that we all experience that at some point in our walk – maybe even multiple times. But how do we move past it?

Who’s Influencing You?

alaina.mclemore@iamsecond.com (Alaina McLemore) — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 22:45:00 GMT

Have you ever known someone with influence? I’m not talking about a good salesman on social media, but about someone who made a difference in your life because of their faith and their presence.

How Storms Help Us Encourage Others

Daniel Berry — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 22:45:00 GMT

There’s something awe-inspiring about a thunderstorm.

Finding My Voice – and Offering It Back

rebekah.schouten@e3partners.com (Rebekah Schouten) — Thu, 19 Mar 2026 16:25:32 GMT

Before I ever knew what “calling” meant, I knew I loved words.

God’s Better Plan

alaina.mclemore@iamsecond.com (Alaina McLemore) — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 19:34:17 GMT

My life is living proof that God’s plan is better, and that he has a purpose for every pain. I feel like I should say especially for every pain. In fact, as much as I hate to admit it, God has done some of his best work in my life during my most painful and confusing seasons.

From Broken to Breakthrough

Daniel Berry — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 19:18:34 GMT

My faith story is unlike many that you’ll hear. It’s “backwards” in many ways.