As part of our 20th anniversary celebration, we’re talking to some of today’s leading Christian writers and thinkers to find out about the state of Bible engagement in 2013. Last week, Ann Spangler talked about the challenge of learning to listen to God.

This week, writer Annie Downs tells us about the Bible verse she wants to understand in 2013:

Here’s the verse she chose:

Sow righteousness for yourselves,
reap the fruit of unfailing love,
and break up your unplowed ground;
for it is time to seek the Lord,
until he comes
and showers his righteousness on you. — Hosea 10:12

What does that verse say to you? Do you have a Bible verse that fascinates or intrigues you the way Hosea 10:12 intrigues Annie?

Annie highlights an important truth about reading the Bible: God’s Word rewards reflection. We often read through the Bible the same way we read a novel—we read each sentence, grasp its basic meaning, and forge ahead to the next sentence without pause. That works, but we’re meant to do more than that with the words of Scripture. We’re meant to remember the words we read; to be challenged and intrigued by them; to hold them in the back of our minds as we go through our days. Proverbs 7 tells us to “write [God’s teachings] on the tablet of your heart.” That’s more than mere memorization—that’s earnest, prayerful reflection.

Hosea 10:12 is the verse that’s occupying Annie’s focus this year. What verse is on your mind in 2013?

Annie is the author of Perfectly Unique: Praising God from Head to Foot and many other works; she has a special heart for the spiritual challenges of teen girls and women in college and after. You can learn more about Annie and her books—and follow her daily thoughts and reflections—at her blog annieblogs.com.