There are seasons when our hunger for God feels stronger than ever, but our capacity to pursue Him feels impossible. We become weary, discouraged, and resentful because, inevitably, life crowds in, we fall out of our spiritual routines, and we end up feeling like failures. But what if it’s not about doing more for God, but instead learning how to be with him, right where we are? Bible teacher Elizabeth Santelmann understands the shame and pressure that can accompany the desire for greater spiritual growth. In her new Bible study, Gently Tended, she invites weary women to rediscover closeness with God through simple, grace-filled spiritual practices designed to nourish rather than stress and overwhelm. She reminds us that our God is near and attentive, and he desires to lovingly tend to our hearts in the middle of everyday life. It’s a joy to welcome Elizabeth to the farm’s front porch today…
Guest Post by Elizabeth Santelmann
The smell of grass floated in through the open window of our farmhouse. The pulse of the buzzing cicadas made it seem as if the air was breathing. I lay sprawled out across my twin bed, so engrossed in my book that I hardly noticed the sticky July heat. A tear slowly slid down my face as I turned a page.
Every paragraph of the missionary testimony I was reading was laced with Scripture.
Miracle after miracle unfolded as the chapters slipped by. Newlywed Darlene Deibler Rose went to a mission field in the tropics to serve alongside several elderly missionaries right before the start of WWII.
When news of the war reached them, their whole group prayed to see if they should leave or stay. Unanimously they decided to stay, and a short time later they received word that the ship they would have left on was torpedoed three days after it set sail. There were no survivors.
Eventually Darlene and her husband were imprisoned by the Japanese military police and put in different camps. Accused of being a spy, Darlene was put in a maximum-security prison where, upon arrival, the commander took her Bible.
“The purpose of studying the Bible isn’t to become stuffed with knowledge but rather to be transformed by his Spirit “
She said in her testimony, “He didn’t know that as a little girl I went to bed every night with this book [my Bible] in front of me. And I began to memorize it, and I started in with Genesis. There was much of this book that was there on the grooves of my mind for the Holy Spirit just to drop the needle down on it and play it back to me. So I didn’t mind him taking my Bible.”1
Day after day, year after year, God sustained her through the verses she had memorized. Time and time again he answered her prayers, and she was comforted in her grief.
The words of God that Darlene had memorized as a child didn’t just sit in her mind or run through her thoughts as a mantra. They transformed who she was and the way she reacted to the pain and struggle that life brought her way.
We, too, can place our trust in God’s Word. The purpose of studying the Bible isn’t to become stuffed with knowledge but rather to be transformed by his Spirit (Romans 12:2). We are putting off our old ways and putting on the new way of life God has given us (Ephesians 4:22-24).
“We don’t study the Bible to earn our salvation—Jesus already paid that price.”
When we read the Word with an open heart, ready to do what it says, God transforms the way we see the world. His attitudes start to become our attitudes. What breaks his heart breaks ours, and what brings him joy brings us joy.
Studying the Word brings joy because it reminds us that God hasn’t handed us over to the influence of a broken world. He lays out his heart in a way that we can access and walks beside us as we become more like him.
We don’t study the Bible to earn our salvation—Jesus already paid that price.
Rather, when we open our Bibles, we are accepting Jesus’ gentle invitation to walk with him and become more like him: “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me. . . . For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:29-30). Bible study does require effort and intentionality—Jesus describes following him as wearing a “yoke.” Yokes for ancient people were always connected to work. But he also promises that his yoke is “easy,” meant to lead us into freedom and flourishing.
“…when we open our Bibles, we are accepting Jesus’ gentle invitation to walk with him and become more like him.”
The Bible is God’s path to flourishing.
Of course, because we live in a broken world, we’ll never find complete fulfillment here. Yet as Christians we can find joy and peace in Christ. Jesus came to be perfect for us. He endured the agony of the cross on our behalf and died to make things new again. Though the earth still groans under the effects of sin, we are told of a Kingdom to come with no more tears. The more we dig into his Word, the more real it becomes to us.
It’s easy to come to Bible study with fear that we will get it wrong. Or maybe someone misled us into believing that we should read the Bible a particular way. But we can rest in the truth that God’s Word does not return empty but accomplishes its purpose.
“God’s Word does not return empty but accomplishes its purpose.“
We can “microdose” and still benefit.
The true goal of reading the Word of God is to love Jesus, know him more, and be transformed to become more like him.
It is tapping into Jesus, the True Vine, who enables us to produce good fruit in our lives.
You are invited today to lean into God’s Word… and to move into it with joy and the hope of promised transformation.
1. Justin B., host, Stories of the Called, podcast, season 1, episode 9, “Darlene Deibler Rose,” Apple Podcasts, January 1, 2025, https://podcasts.apple.com/sg/podcast/darlene-deibler-rose-ep-9/id1776500670?i=1000682473853.
Elizabeth Santelmann is a wife, mom, podcaster, and Bible teacher. She enjoys writing and sharing about Jesus on Instagram and her blog as well as on her popular podcast, Sunshine in My Nest.
With a passion for supporting and serving the local church, she hosts a weekly discipleship group, leads a small group, and facilitates outreach studies periodically throughout the year. Elizabeth currently lives in Oklahoma with her husband and three sons.
Elizabeth’s new women’s Bible study, Gently Tended: A Grace-Filled Bible Study for Practicing the Spiritual Disciplines, is an invitation to slow down, breathe deeply, and trust that even in the overwhelm, God is patiently at work.
In twelve sessions, each with an accompanying video teaching, Elizabeth walks readers through foundational spiritual disciplines like prayer, simplicity, meditation, and worship, breaking them down into manageable rhythms that fit even the busiest days. Through Scripture engagement, thoughtful teaching, and guided reflection, this study is designed to bring spiritual nourishment rather than overwhelm.
Join Elizabeth in discovering that intimacy with God doesn’t require perfection, just a willing heart. Even the smallest, everyday actions can refresh your soul and deepen your connection with God.
{Our humble thanks to Tyndale Momentum for their partnership in today’s devotional.}
