I’ve written numerous times about the necessity of reading the Bible, the most recent where I list it as something you should be doing daily. I know that a lot of people feel lost on where and how to start, though. That was one of the main reasons I blew it off for awhile when I was younger. I loved to read, but I knew the Bible was different in that it was sacred and much more complex than any book I’d ever read. And when I didn’t know what I was doing or reading, it just seemed boring, honestly. Now I’ve tried multiple ways to go about studying God’s Word, and it’s certainly not boring anymore, but it did take some trial and error for me to figure out what was the best way to go about really understanding it and applying it to my life.
I want to reiterate, though, that you can always learn as you go. Even if it feels very awkward at first or you just read a couple verses and don’t quite understand them, God will help you as you make that time with Him. The Holy Spirit will continue to work through you to help you gain a deeper knowledge of God and His Word. I think the biggest mistake people make, though, with this, as they do many other things, is that the task seems too daunting or confusing or overwhelming so they just don’t do it. But it doesn’t have to be that way! Usually we are the ones who get in our own way. I’m such a perfectionist, so take it from someone who always wanted to be studying the Bible the “right” way and get the most out of it as possible. I’ve had to learn that it’s not all about that. Yes, understanding the Word and applying it is why we read it, but we also read it to be close to and spend time with God. That’s why you have to just start. The more you’re spending time with Him, the more gradually you will begin to start learning about who He is and what He wants from you. Otherwise, how can you ever begin to get to know Him better if you don’t just start somewhere?
I’d like to share some of my journey with how I got into studying the Bible consistently and to the point where I was understanding it much better, and then I’ll share the specific ways you can go about doing that yourself. I started prioritizing reading the Word when I was about 12 after we started going to our new church. It was actually a comment that I remember my pastor making during a sermon about how I think it was if you read five chapters of the Bible a day (or it might have been five pages, I don’t exactly remember now, but it was five something), then you can finish the Bible in a whole year. So you know me, I just dive headfirst into complex, mature texts, so I began reading this tween Bible of mine every day, from Genesis to the end, in chronological order. It was not the first time I’d attempted reading the Bible that way; I had many ambitious plans to do that when I was far younger after convincing my grandma to give me this adorable pink Bible she’d gotten for one of my cousins instead, but I never made it past probably halfway through the Old Testament, even. It was cute because one time I decided to undertake Revelation after hearing my mom and grandma talk about how confusing it was, and after completing the book on my own, I concluded that I didn’t have any issues understanding it. I honestly wonder what was going through my head at that time to draw that conclusion.
Anyway, when I did decide to do this after hearing about it in church, I actually did complete the entire Bible in order a little less than a year later. It was a struggle, I’m not going to lie. I enjoyed it, especially as I was growing in my faith during that time and got to some of the ending New Testament books that were easier for me to apply and that I was growing familiar with, but I remember for awhile, especially during the Old Testament, I would want to fall asleep. One time when my grandma was down, I asked if I could read to her out loud because it was one of those sections with instructions like for building, I think, or just something like that I didn’t grasp the point of, so I had to read out loud to keep from falling asleep, I guess. Yeah and then there was Song of Solomon, which I heard was supposedly a steamy book about a couple’s passion—my tween Bible described it as a “love letter” hahaha; it most certainly is—so that definitely intrigued me. I read through it and I think was a bit let down with how “tame” it seemed to me. Most of that book is written in explicit imagery; I still don’t know how I missed those interpretations, and sometimes it flat out says certain things, so once again, it just flew over my head. I understand it now, though!!!
Since then, shortly after I finished that journey, Mom got me David Jeremiah’s study Bible. That was one she also got for herself, and I’d seen my grandma using Charles Stanley’s, and I loved the idea of a pastor I respected who was more knowledgable than myself about the Word helping to break it down, especially the books and passages that didn’t make sense to me at first. I’ve also bought a couple Bibles since, one that was a journaling Bible so that I could easily take notes. I’m actually trying to find a new Bible yet again because my other ones have been directed towards tweens or teens and I just want a regular one now but still a journaling Bible and still a pretty one of course, so there’s that, but I’ve also completed several Bible studies since then, too. Also, if you can’t access a Bible right now, download the Bible app! It’s completely free, lets you access all of Scripture and take highlights and notes, and there’s numerous plans and devotions and such in the app, all free, that help break it down, so I highly recommend that; I’ve done stuff on that app before as well to go about studying.
The most recent way I studied the Bible was reading through it again (understood it much better this time) with my Jeremiah Study Bible. That was incredibly enriching. I have so much I still remember that I don’t think I’ll forget. I didn’t take any notes or anything when I did because I just wanted to read and spend time with God, but I would love to go through it again (with my new Bible if I ever find “the one”!) and take notes/journal about it because wow. I thank God for His growth in me and helping me understand His Word and Himself better, so without further ado, I’ll break down some of the things I found most beneficial for me.
- Complete a Bible study: If you are new to learning the Word, I’m thinking I would probably recommend this just because Bible studies do a great job of easing you into the Bible by honing in on a specific topic or theme usually, which gives you a good idea of finding Scripture and what it touches on. Also, Bible studies include multiple questions about your reading, which is a great way to begin getting in the habit of applying what you read and making sense of it. I really enjoyed Living So That by Wendy Blight; that was one of the first Bible study books I’d been given, and I learned a ton through the reflection questions. Also, that one would be great for beginners as well because she covers so many of the most essential topics: why Jesus came, prayer, and so much more. Not all Bible studies have to be done in a group, either, or with watching videos. This book had none of that so I did it at my own pace. Doing a Bible study with a group is a great way to learn with other believers and something I also recommend, but it’s perfectly fine to study the Bible that way on your own, too.
- Read through the Word with the help of a study Bible: Okay, this is kind of funny but I am serious in bringing this up. I think the first book I went to in my study Bible and also when I was looking at my grandma’s one day was the Song of Solomon (it’s about sex, if you haven’t caught on). However, by me reading through what each pastor had to say about it was actually very insightful on how their perspectives can differ but both be correct. For example, David Jeremiah focused more on the practical, literal implications of what the book was saying about marriage and intimacy. Charles Stanley, on the other hand, I remember talked much more about how the love being expressed in that book describes how God feels about us and our relationship with Him. Neither of those are wrong; they’re both true. Song of Solomon is still practical in showing how marriage and that sort of intimacy should be, but it also paints a much larger picture of God’s pursuit of us since marriage and intimacy are modeled after His relationship with us. That helped me learn all the more about the book and all the different things it means. I also think this is a great way to study the Bible for both beginners and those who are more comfortable with the Word alike. Since someone is helping break it down, that’s a great way for those who are new to reading the Bible to begin seeing how it applies to them and understand what they are reading and the purpose of it all. However, as I have grown more knowledgable of the Bible, I still love doing this. Like I said, I just finished my study Bible and felt like I gained so much more insight, and I already want to go through it again with the same study Bible to really let it all sink in. The Word is so powerful and amazing with its scope and depth, so you definitely don’t run out of things to learn or gain insight about God.
- Using a Bible’s concordance: This is usually at the back and I believe most Bibles would have this but I might be wrong; I know my study Bible had a huge one. What this is, essentially, is a list of names, places, objects, themes, topics, etc. with a list of Scripture references to them. For example, say you’re interested in studying what the Bible has to say about forgiveness. You could go to the concordance, look for words like “forgive,” “forgiven,” “forgiveness,” etc. and see what the Word has to say about those. My mom actually has a book on our Kindle that is sort of like a concordance but taking the work out of it, so it has chapters like “What the Bible says about…” and then it could be things like love, forgiveness, etc. and it will completely list out all the verses pertaining to them and their references. I used this one time when I was going to write a letter to someone and first needed to educate myself on what the Bible said about themes related to their situation, and I was amazed by how much making a list of that helped me, not only with my letter, but just with understanding the Bible more myself.
- Read through a book of the Bible and journal/draw/take notes about what you’re reading: As you begin to get more comfortable with reading the Word or if you’re ready to start with this, this is a great way to begin studying on your own and applying it to your own life. With my journaling Bible, one of my favorite books to go through and journal about was Psalms. I’ve also seen people who draw in the margins of their Bibles; you can actually buy Bibles just for that where you pick out a verse or two and illustrate the concept and make it all pretty by drawing the words in the margin. Drawing is not my forté so I’ll pass on that, but if you’re into that, I can’t think of a better way to not only apply the Word to your life but also meditate on it and memorize it through your careful drawing of it. You can also combine these with other methods, like taking notes while you’re using a study Bible (what I want to do) or taking notes on your own as you’re doing a Bible study, too. Some of the books I recommend for this (but you can do it with any) are Psalms, Proverbs, the Gospels, Romans, Philippians, Ephesians, Galatians, Corinthians, Peter’s letters, John’s letters, and James. Those are rich in application and insight but of course the whole Bible is full of that; I’ve just found these books are a bit more intuitive and help shed light on all the other parts of the Bible.
I hope these ideas can help motivate you to make studying the Bible part of your life. Again: the important thing is just to open it up. You have to start somewhere. If you’re interested in learning more specifics about this and my process, let me know! I keep dreaming up ideas for a YouTube channel I’d actually like to start soon, and it would be easy for me to record myself actually studying and talk you through some of this more in depth. For the time being, I pray that God will speak to you through your reading and that you’ll make Him and His Word a priority. Little by little, it truly does change your life.
