“Word of God Speak 2014” – Two Days In!

Hey friends, just two days into our new adventure, we are having a great time over at my Facebook page sharing what God has spoken to us from our January 1st and January 2nd reading. I hope you’ll join in! You may not have Facebook yet (I know that I really resisted jumping into that whole arena for years), but it really is the best way to experience “Word of God Speak 2014.” You might consider having a friend help you open an account.

I wanted to show you a sample of the Bible study method I’d like us to use for our time together. As I’ve already shared, our goal this year is to read the Bible slowly until something stands out that we want to meditate on.

Our assigned reading portion today is PROVERBS 2 – but I only made it five verses in before I had to stop because they so captured my attention. Lately, I’ve been asking the Lord to teach me what the “fear of God” really is – and there it was! – the ingredients needed to understand what it means.

So I stopped reading right there and began to meditate on the verses with pen in hand. After reading through the verses carefully once again, I wrote down the DATE, the PORTION I read (Proverbs 2:1-5) and then, word for word, I wrote the VERSE I wanted to respond to the Lord about. Then in the last space I wrote HOW IT IMPRESSED ME. For me, this portion usually comes out like a prayer. Sometimes I ask questions or paraphrase the verse in my own words. But whatever form my response takes, I use it as an opportunity to dialogue with God about what He has said to me in His Word.

I usually record my quiet time insights in my journal as it allows more space to talk to the Lord, but I always use the approach described above so that I have both the scripture and my response in one place.

For those new to journaling, the “Bible Reading Highlight” page shown below is a great place to start. You can find the template online at: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6s2AXgE4qjJSWZFNEJlaUdaTW8/edit?usp=sharing

I hope that gives you an idea of how the method works. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask! I’d love to hear from you.