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. I don’t know that there is a real name for this method. I simply call it exactly what it is:
Read, Write, Meditate and Pray is a Simple 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.
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
Let’s 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 our study, so let’s read Psalms chapter 8. It is ideal to read it at least two times.
Write – Let’s chose verse 1. Write it down slowly as we consider the words.
If you have room on your page, you could even write the verse out in another translation. Sometimes I do so and other times, I do not.
O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth?
Who hast set thy glory above the heavens. KJV
Meditate – Now let’s really think about the verse we wrote down.
We may wish to add a:
* note that further defines who the Lord is (to you personally).
* synonym or two of the word excellent
*description of what “above the heavens” could be
Our 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 so much more.
Pray – We will want to say a prayer of thankfulness to God for who He is.
Or, we may pray the Scripture back to our 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.
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 will want to memorize the verse. Or, you may wish to pray about it 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 or 10 minute study and then put a check in the checkbox that you’ve done your study. 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.