Simple Bible Study Method

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Read, Write, Meditate and Pray –  Simple Bible Study Method

What a joy it is to study God’s Word.  Do you agree?  Or do you find studying the Bible difficult? 

Are you new to studying your Bible and could use some guidance about different Bible Study Methods. 

If, you are new to Bible Study, or if you have found Bible Study difficult in the past, this post about the Read, Write, Meditate and Pray Bible Study method is just for you.

Bible Study Purpose

The purpose of our Bible Study time should be to draw close to God and learn more about Him and how we should live. It doesn’t matter whether we use an easy method or a complicated method.  What matters is that we spend time with God and in His Word.

Let’s look at a simple Bible Study Method today. Here’s what you will need:

• Bible
• Pen or pencil
• Paper
• Optional: You can purchase a Bible Study Journal that is specific to this method if you wish to do so. Or if you like to color while you study, I really like this Coloring Bible Study and Prayer Journal that uses this study method.  You can even color the cover of this Bible Study journal!

Read, Write, Meditate and Pray – Simple Bible Study Method

I don’t know if there is a real name for this method. I simply call it exactly what it is. Read, Write, Meditate and Pray Bible Study Method.

Before you begin your Bible Study time be sure to pray and ask the Lord to be with you and to lead and guide you during your study of His Word.

There are four steps to this type of Bible Study.  Let’s look at each step of this study individually.

Read

Read a specific passage in your Bible.  Read the passage twice.  Tip:  Read it aloud one of those times. 

Are you asking “But, what verses should I read?”  Probably so.  The Bible is a great big love letter to us and sometimes it’s hard to know what part to read. 

I recommend deciding in advance what Scripture you will be reading for the week or the month.   It helps to know what topic you’ll be studying and what passages in the Bible you’ll be reading.

I don’t recommend just sitting down and letting your Bible fall open to some page and studying that chapter.  I know that Lord can bless any type of study, but it is not a good Bible Study method.  It doesn’t help you stay committed to studying the Word.

Choose a topic that you’d like to study or that the Lord has laid on your heart.  Then search online for Scriptures about that topic.  These lists are usually easy to find.  As time permits, I’ll add some lists to this blog and will link them here so that you can use them or get ideas of topics to study.

Write

The second step in this Simple Bible Study Method is to write out what you read.

Select one verse from the passage you read to write out.  It may be:

* A verse that you feel the Holy Spirit guiding you toward as you read. 

* A verse that spoke directly to something you are going through right now. 

* A verse that gave you assurance of God’s love or strength.

*  A verse that tells you how to live a Christ-filled life

If you’re not sure which verse to write down, then just pick one and ask God to reveal His truth of that verse to you.

Write the verse out slowly as you think about the words.

Tip:  Write it out from a second translation also.

Meditate

Now that you have read the full passage and written down a verse.  Spend some time re-reading the verse.  Slowly and deliberately.  Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal what you need to understand about that verse.

Read it as many times as you wish.  You may even feel drawn to underline or circle some words that stand out to you.

Write down a note or two about what the Lord shows you.  Also note how that will apply to your life right now.

Tip: It is often helpful to read a verse or two before and after the verse you are studying to help you understand the context of the verse.

Pray

The final step in this Simple Bible Study method is to pray about it. 

You can pray about what the Lord has revealed to you through the verse.  Is there something you need to praise Him for?  Is there an action you need to take?  Is there something you need to improve upon in your walk with the Lord? If so, pray for the Lord’s help in that area.

Another option is to pray the verse back to the Lord.  Using the verse as a guideline, pray it to Him, perhaps making the verse more personal and using similar words that you are more comfortable with.  The Lord is pleased when we recite His Word.

Example of RWMP – Simple Bible Study Method

Sometimes, following directions are so much easier when we have an example, so I will do that for you below.

Read, Write, Meditate and Pray Bible Study Method Example

I have chosen to do a 5 day study about thanksgiving in the Psalms.   The chapters I’ve chosen are:  8, 19, 30, 66, 117

Read

This is the first day of my study, so I’ve read Psalms chapter 8.  I read it two times.

Write

I’ve chosen verse 1 to write out and study deeper.  I wrote it down slowly as I considered the words.

If you have room on your page, you could even write the verse out in another translation.  I didn’t do so because the ones I typically use were very similar.

O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth? 

Who hast set thy glory above the heavens.  KJV

Meditate

Now I want to really think about the verse I wrote down.

 I may add a:

* note that further defines who my Lord is.

* synonym or two of the word excellent

*description of what “above the heavens” could be

My notes might be:

God’s name is excellent. (superb, magnificent).  There is no one greater than Him.

Oh, the beauty of the skies, moon, sun, stars, clouds and all of God’s creation.

Pray – I may say a prayer of thankfulness to God for who He is.

Or, I may pray the Scripture back to my Heavenly Father.  Perhaps something like this:

Dear Heavenly Father,

You are Lord of my life and I worship You.  You are powerful and mighty over all of the earth.  Your glory can be seen on earth and throughout all of the heavens.  Thank You for who You are and for being Lord of my life.  Amen.

This is what my completed study looked like (well, my handwriting is not quite this pretty.)

Follow Up through the Day

When you study God’s Word, it is truly valuable to continue to think on what you studied throughout the day. Perhaps you’ll want to memorize the verse. Or, you may wish to pray about the topic several times. During the day, think/meditate on how the Lord spoke to you through that verse.

The point is to not let it be just a 5 minute study and then put a check in the checkbox that you’ve done your Bible Study for the day. Instead, allow the truth of God’s Word impact your day and your life.

I hope that this information and example of the RWMP – Simple Bible Study method is helpful to you.  I’d love to hear if you try this method, and how you like it. 

Next time, we’ll be reviewing the SOAP Bible Study Method.

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