Have you ever wanted to deeply, study the Bible but are unsure how to jump in? For many reasons, we, as Christians, want and need to get deeper into God's word. Doing so is not about checking off boxes to appear in a particular manner, but rather it's growing a rich understanding of scripture so that God can speak wisdom to us through it, it's understanding the very essence of our faith and relationship with God. In our lifetime we will never fully comprehend the profoundness of who God is but we can learn a lot about God's character, His love for all of us, and His great plan of redemption for humankind. It will take some intentional strategies and tools to dive deep into scripture, so here are some of the practices I use to accomplish that.
Start With Prayer
So one of the things I've noticed people, including myself, say a lot is, "The only thing I can do is pray." As if that's the last resort when it should be the very first thing we do. Prayer is our way of communicating with God, and the first thing we should do in all things is come to God in prayer. Matthew 7:7 says, "Ask, and it will be given to you." So when it comes to studying the Bible the first thing I do before I even read a single word, is come to God in Prayer. I pray something similar to this:
Heavenly Father,
Thank you for ...
As I read your words today I ask for focus and clarity to be diligent in my study, and I ask that you will allow your words to be written on my heart and for it to be filled with your knowledge and wisdom.
In Jesus name, Amen!
Define what you don't know
This might seem obvious, but I can't tell you how much this has changed the way I read the Bible. I was listening to the "Woah, That's Good!" podcast by Sadie Robertson and I noticed that one thing she does is study words, and she's not the only one either. After that first-word study encounter by Sadie, I started to notice many pastors and devout Christians did the same things. They know lots of Hebrew or Greek words, and their meanings, to get a better understanding of the context behind things. Now you might be thinking to yourself, well how do I learn Hebrew or Greek? One great simple and free resource is to look at the footnotes of your Bible. Often for common words or ideas the footnotes of the Bible will tell you the correlating word from the original Hebrew text. If you enjoy learning Hebrew, The Bible Project has created a list of additional resources.
However, it's not just words but anything you don't know. For example, many scriptures throughout the Bible (Zechariah 13:9 & 1 Peter 1:7) talk about refining silver and Gold. When we read that we might already have a general idea of what that means, but when you take time to look into the process of refining metal and how that's a metaphor for what God does for us, it creates a much richer understanding of God's transformative power. There are many other metaphors in the Bible as well like a shepherd and his sheep, and God being a sculpture. For most people, these are no longer common practices in our daily lives, and we might miss the message trying to be portrayed unless we familiarize ourselves with some context. If you are thinking to yourself, that's a great idea but while I'm studying the Bible I don't want to use technology to research things, there are tools out there to aid you technology-free. I use this Dictionary of the Bible to help define words and phrases I don't know.
How Does What I Read Fit Into The Greater Story?
If you don't know yet, the Bible is not a random collection of God's thoughts but rather it reveals to us His grand plan for salvation. The whole Bible is one big story to show how Jesus was there in the beginning, to be our savior, so that we may live eternally with Him. The Bible shares the creation, the fall, the promises God made to a sinful people, Jesus's coming, death, and resurrection, the great commission, and the prophecies of Jesus's return when heaven and earth collide. So as you're reading through the scriptures ask yourself, how does this point to Jesus? How does this fit into God's greater plan of redemption?
What Does this tell me about God's Character?
Similar to the idea above of "how can I see Jesus in this scripture," you can also ask yourself, "What can I learn about God's character." Following Jesus is not a religion, but a relationship. As you read your Bible, you are blossoming that relationship. You can think about when you meet a new friend, you might say, "So tell me about yourself." You learn about your new friend's character, but a lot of the things you'll learn come from spending more time with that person. You'll start to understand their character more not by what they've told you but rather through their actions. It's similar to God in that the more time you spend getting to know Him and reading scripture, you'll see His actions and learn about His character.
How Can I Live This?
Our Bibles are not intended to sit on a shelf and collect dust, rather it's intended to be read daily. Matthew 6:11 says in the Lord's prayer, "Give us our daily bread." That's what God's word is meant for, daily nourishment for our souls. Often when we are looking for an answer from God, He speaks through His living word. His words have the power to heal us, and they bring so much wisdom to all areas of our lives. So as you're reading your Bible ask yourself how can I apply this passage to my life? Are these the words I've been needing to hear from God? Can I use this knowledge to better serve others, and spread the kingdom of God? Why did God have me read this passage?
The Bible is a Russian Nesting Doll
I'm sure you are familiar with the idea of Russian nesting dolls, i.e. the doll that starts big, and as you open up each layer there is another doll inside the previous doll, that gets smaller and smaller until you reach the center layer. Well, the Bible can be a lot like that or an onion. Essentially, you can read the Bible at the surface layer, and that holds a lot of information, but if you pull back a layer and get deeper, closer to the center, you'll find more and more wisdom. Essentially the center can be thought of as God's greater plan of redemption, and each layer is the different scripture that cross references. The New Testament often quotes the Old Testament, so you should take the time to read what it's quoting. Sometimes scripture doesn't directly quote but if you pay attention to the footnotes again, sometimes your Bible will tell you what you're missing. In addition, as you start to memorize scripture, you'll start to notice where scripture cross references on your own.
Word & Thought Vomit
I know that sounds gross but that's essentially what it is. When you're reading through scripture and you have a thought, write it down. I use a journaling Bible which gives me space to do this, but if you don't have a journaling Bible, Hosanna Revival has some cute ones, or I like to use transparent and/or regular sticky notes. Anywho, the concept of word and thought vomit is that when you get curious about something, have a connection to another passage, maybe a metaphor you came up with, or it just reminds you of someone or something you want to pray for, you write it down in your Bible. This allows you to see the ways God has worked in your life, how far your knowledge has grown, how passages cross reference, and more. If you write a curiosity you now have an idea or answer to search for and possible connections that get you deeper into scripture.
Change of Scenery & Experiences of Life
Life is not intended to be lived alone. We are supposed to be in the community enjoying life and having fun (in balance of course). Sometimes it helps your Bible study to change up your scenery or the people you have conversations with because it can give you a fresh perspective on things. Taking up a new hobby or learning a new skill can also help bring the metaphors in the Bible to life. Perhaps gardening will help you understand many metaphors about plants, or taking a pottery class will help you understand how God is the sculpture, and we are the masterpiece. God can be seen in all, so start looking for Him and see where you see the scripture playing out in the physical world.