When Jason Harshbarger was here on Wednesday, one of the things he said in his message really stuck with me. "Learn the language." Something that I hear from students (and adults) is that the Bible is too hard to read...too confusing.
Jason gave the example of moving to Brazil. You're going to be totally lost at first when trying to communicate. You won't understand most street signs, you won't be able to tell what kinds of stores there are, and you won't be able to carry on a conversation with anyone!! But if you IMMERSE yourself in the culture...hang around the people, listen to conversations, explore places, get a dictionary to help you understand words, you will eventually begin to learn the language!
It is truly the same as understanding the Word of God. This book that is (in parts) thousands of years old is still able to impact people today! It's amazing - that's one of the reasons we know it's supernatural and from God. The words continue to come alive to people all over the world and transform who they are! I don't know of any other book that does that.
If you begin to immerse yourself in God's Word, it will make more and more sense every time you read it! You must learn the language!
