Finding time to spend in God’s Word can be a challenge in the busyness of our culture. Carving out even a few minutes to read Scripture may feel impossible for some of us. Fortunately, there are tools out there that can help! We’re excited to share this in-depth review of Dwell. Dwell is a unique new audio Bible app that will make your time listening to God’s Word enriching and life-changing.
Did you know you can listen to the entire Bible in about 72 hours? That’s 12 minutes a day if you listened every day for a year.
Life is busy, but we could all likely set aside 12 minutes a day to listen to God’s Word. The pressures and responsibilities of life will always and inevitably crowd. So that’s why it is essential to prioritize spending time in the Bible. At the end of the day, we make time for the things we love. And as believers who love God, we must also love (and therefore spend time in) His Word.
This summer was incredibly full for me. A cross-country move paired with a packed schedule and more work than usual made it difficult to find extra windows of time. I usually love taking long stretches of time to sit and read my Bible. Digging in deeply and journaling alongside my reading (usually with a warm cup of coffee close by!) is life-giving. But in this particular season, I simply didn’t have the luxury of those spacious, slow intervals.
However, I found I was able to effectively leverage the pockets of time I did have throughout my day by listening to God’s Word instead. I did this by using the Dwell Bible App. This truly made my time in God’s Word enriching, encouraging, and life-giving!
WHAT IS THE DWELL APP?
The Dwell Bible App is an interactive Bible audio app unlike any other Bible app I’ve listened to. Dwell includes the entirety of Scripture read by a variety of hosts. There are 15 voices and 10 Scripture translations you can choose from. Dwell even has a voice in Spanish and one in Portuguese!
OUR DWELL APP REVIEW
Our Favorite Features
- Engaging Voices
- Customizable Background Music
- Intuitive Search Feature
- Themed Reading Plans
- Playlist Creation
- Amazing Audio Controls
- Adjustable Playback Speed
- Offline Listening
The voices on this audio Bible app are also different from the voices on any other Bible app I’ve listened to. Other app’s voices can seem stale or (dare I say it) boring. But the voices on Dwell are compelling, personal, and engaging. You can tell that those who are reading the Word of God are people who truly love God, who understand the beauty of the gospel, and who trust God’s Word as authoritative and true. And for me, that makes all the difference as I listen!
What makes Dwell even more engaging is that you can change the background music that plays behind the Scripture reading. You can choose anything from soft cello to hymns to piano. I found this makes the listening experience so soothing and inspiring. If I’m ever having a hard time falling asleep, I love choosing a soft voice (Rosie’s is my favorite) to read to me. Then I pick soft cello music to play behind it. I select my “Psalms” playlist and set the sleep timer within the app so it goes off after 30 minutes. Without fail, I fall asleep quickly and peacefully as God’s Word is read over me.
The Dwell app has so many other features that really make getting into God’s Word easy and accessible. You can search for a particular verse or choose a chronological or themed reading plan to keep you on track. There is even a setting to repeat particular verses (a great tool for Scripture memorization!). Just like your favorite music app, you can even make ‘playlists’ that include your favorite passages of Scripture, and choose what will play next in your queue.
The audio controls are amazing—allowing you to individually change the volume of both the voices and the background music. There are also several options for adjusting the playback speed. You can even download passages to your phone so you can listen when your phone is offline.
There really is something truly life-changing about listening to God’s Word.
THE POWER OF HEARING GOD’S WORD
Friends, there really is something truly life-changing about listening to God’s Word. When you are consistently having Scripture read over you day after day after day, the Word begins to saturate into your heart. Listening as you cook breakfast, drive to work, drop your kids off at school, run errands, cook dinner, and fall asleep, you start to realize how the Word of God truly speaks to every moment of your day. Further, you start to grow in your understanding of what it truly looks like to commune with God and pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
Immersed in the Word
This summer, though full and busy for me, was deeply encouraging and soul-shaping. The reason was because I prioritized time in God’s Word. And it wasn’t complicated. It didn’t cause me to rearrange my whole day. I wasn’t spending hours a day reading through the Old Testament. It didn’t require me to break down verses or learn the Greek and Hebrew of different words. I simply allowed the Dwell App to read God’s Word read over me continually as I went about the daily tasks of life. And let me tell you—it changed me.
In Isaiah 55:11 God tells us this about His Word. “So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.”
God is faithful to accomplish His purposes. And the work He achieves through His Word is lasting and eternal. He uses His Word to show us His character, to illuminate the gospel, to usher us toward obedience, to enable our sanctification. And ultimately He uses His Word to lead us to know Him and love Him more and more.
Redeeming the Time
In Ephesians 5:15-16, Paul encourages us as believers to “redeem the time.” This means to make the most of the days the Lord has set before us. Consider the time the Lord has given you. How might you “redeem” it by choosing to have God’s Word read over you?
Maybe for you this season is filled with long hours at work. But perhaps you could fit in some time to listen to God’s Word as you get ready or on your morning and evening commute?
Maybe for you this season is filled with diapers and packing lunches and school drop-offs. But perhaps you could play passages of Scripture over you and your kiddos as you sit in the carpool line?
We have so much time in the day; we just need to prioritize it well. And what better way to redeem the time the Lord has given us than to get His Word in our ears?
The Price
I hope you’ll give Dwell a try and start making time for God’s Word. There is so much to gain from investing in your relationship with God through His Word. You can even do a free 7-day trial of Dwell to see if you enjoy it before you commit to a year-long plan. But I have a feeling that once you start this habit of listening to God’s Word in such a beautiful way, you won’t want to stop.
Typical Dwell customers pay $39.99 for Dwell for a year or $199.99 for Dwell for life. But we are so excited to offer Joyful Life readers a 25% discount off of your Dwell subscription. This means you can get a yearly subscription for $29.99 or you can get Dwell for life for just $149.99!
Friends, let’s start redeeming our time and letting God’s Word saturate our days.
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