In his recent tribute to the late Reverend Billy Graham, pastor and Desiring God founder John Piper notes Graham’s incredible habit of Bible study (taken from John Pollock’s biography, Billy Graham):
Beyond all else Billy Graham studies the Bible, the supreme authority for his belief and action. Every day he reads five Psalms, covering the psalter in a month, and one chapter of Proverbs, the book that “shows us how to relate our own lives to our fellow men.” He reads through a Gospel each week, using commentaries and modern translations, and constantly returns to the Acts of the Apostles. He annotates throughout the Bible. “Sometimes His word makes such an impact on me that I have to put the Bible down and walk around for a few moments to catch my breath.” (Pollock, 248)
This is pretty incredible to consider, but not surprising given Graham’s lasting influence. Of course, God is not calling us to be the next Billy Graham. But let’s take Graham’s own description of how he studied the Bible and see if we can’t find some good advice and encouragement for our own study in the Word.