I recently completed listening to an audio version of the Bible. Below are some thoughts related to the experience.
Following a speaking engagement in April, when I discussed personal devotions, a man approached me and told me a story about one of his coworkers. The coworker is a welder with a job requiring him to be alone throughout most of the workday. The welder is a Christian and decided to listen to an audio Bible at work most days for nearly the entire eight-hour shift. My friend couldn't remember how few days it took the welder to listen to the whole Bible, but he recollected that it was a surprisingly few days - far less than a month - to listen to all 66 books.
After hearing that story and having never listened to a complete audio Bible, I experimented. I began listening to an audio version of the Legacy Standard Bible (LSB, my favorite translation) on May 1. I was already in the habit of listening to a couple dozen podcasts regularly during a typical week, listening as I walked the dog, got ready in the morning, worked out at the gym, and drove the car. I decided to forego my usual podcast listening temporarily to see how many days it would take me to listen to the entire New Testament in those typical listening times. I devoted no particular, focused time to the task.
I was pretty surprised when, on the morning of May 9, I completed listening to the New Testament. It took less than nine days to hear all of it read to me, and then only in those select moments when I would typically listen to other talking heads on podcasts. Wow. I was amazed and a bit convicted by that realization. I've been listening to podcasts for years. How many times might I have been able to listen to God's Word in that period?
Of course, I still liked my podcasts and didn't want to give them up. So, I decided on a compromise. I would listen to one or two Bible books each week before listening to the other podcasts. Since I only had the 39 Old Testament books remaining, it took me 21 weeks to complete listening to the Old Testament. That means it took me about five months, from May 1 until October 8, to hear the Bible read. I've read through the Bible annually most years since my college days nearly half a century ago, but getting in this extra hearing was something new.
There were some issues with this experience. The most significant was the frequent lack of focus on what I was hearing. Distractions occurred mainly because I was always listening while doing something else. While driving, my focus needs to be on the road. When working out, I do a lot of counting reps and seconds between sets. Others near me might start talking and cause me to miss a portion of what was playing. And, of course, my mind wandering was the fiercest enemy of devoted attention.
I must be honest and say that I missed a frightening portion of what was played along the way. In that sense, listening to an audio Bible was nowhere close as effective for me as opening up a printed copy of God's Word and seeing, reading aloud, making notes, and pondering what I read. However, I listened to the final Old Testament book more intently - sitting at my desk, looking at the text as I heard, and not engaging in anything but the Bible hearing and learning moment. As you might suspect, my focus was far superior in that hearing than in the other distracted experiences.
Here are my big-picture takeaways from the experience:
Listening to an audio Bible, even in those random, unstructured moments subject to distraction, can be a worthwhile experience as you catch moments of truth from God's Word. It is infinitely more edifying and worthwhile than any podcast, music, or lesser matter clamoring for attention.
For those for whom reading is a challenge, listening to the Bible is a beautiful opportunity to hear God speak through His inspired Word without the frustration or slowness imposed by personal limitations.
Not all audio Bibles are created equal. Many long-standing translations have several audio versions available. Some are free, and some cost. If you want a free one, I suggest first trying the YouVersion Bible app since many of its included translations come with audio versions. Since my preferred Legacy Standard Bible is a newer translation, no great audio options exist. One playlist on YouTube separates every chapter into a different video - a real pain to listen to on your phone while trying to do anything else. The other option I listened to was the Life Bible app, an automated machine reading filled with frequent, frustrating pronunciation errors. I will wait until a better, user-friendly, human reading of that translation is available before listening to it again.
To get the most from the experience, devote undistracted time to hearing the Bible read. Let your eyes see the text as it's read. Think about what you're hearing and seeing rather than other distractions.
God's Word is powerful in any and every form. He can and will accomplish His purposes through it in all who seek Him and His wisdom.
What about you? Have you listened to an audio Bible? What was your experience like? I'd love to hear your story in a comment.
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