Living Life in the Word (2015)
- We talk about reading and studying Scripture a lot —and many of us are seasoned veterans. It’s been a solid habit for years, and we reap the benefits. Others of us, struggle to find that rhythm in Scripture meditation. Part of the problem is that we just don’t know what to do. An open Bible and 15 minutes of quiet time can be intimidated. So below, I’m republishing a process that may help you relate to God through meditation on the Scriptures. This is not a hard and fast rule you have to follow, but if you find yourself not sure how to make the most of Bible reading time, this may help.
What You’ll Need:
- A Consistent Time and Place: this will help you get in the right frame of mind, and will aid in your disciplined pursuit of God.
- A Bible: simply a bible you can read and understand. You aren’t doing in-depth studies of Greek and Hebrew words—you are reading in pursuit of God. Personally, there are too many distractions for me if I go with an electronic option, but use what works for you.
- A Plan: this will tell you what to read and when, so you aren’t flipping through on your own whims. We have plans in the racks by the main entrance, and others can be found online. Some plans are just a few verses, others a few chapters. Choose one that will be doable for you, while still pushing you a little.
- Highlighter & Pen: use the highlighter or pen to mark important parts of the passage as you read, and the pen to write your reflections.
- A Notebook or Journal: nothing fancy, just something to write some reflections.
- Planner/Calendar/Scrap Paper: you’ll get distracted as you read. Use this to jot down the random things that will pop into your head. When you remember you need to take trash out while reading, just write it down and then move on with your reading.
What You’ll Do
- Start by praying a simple prayer for God to bless your time in the Scriptures.
- Read, following your plan. Listen for what jumps out at you, and mark those passages.
- Think about what you’ve read. Chose one of the passages you marked to think about more deeply. In your notebook ,write the date, write out the verse, and then do some rough writing about the verse. You’re not writing to win a Pulitzer Prize, just to help process.
- What? – what do you see? What’s going on? Make general observations.
- So what? – why does it matter? How is connected to other Scriptures or your life? This is interpretation.
- Now what? – What are you going to do it? What can you obey? Write specific actions you can take based on what you’ve read. This is application.
- Pray about what you’ve read and the way it applies to your life. It may be helpful to write the prayer.
- Live what you’ve read — pursuing a deeper transforming relationship with God!