The Joy Bible Study Method

Joy. Its a choice we make. A place we want to live. Joy is sometimes missing though. I know it is missing from my life. Like a friend who seems lost and gone. So many scriptures talk about Christians having joy, but really, the Christians seem to be the least joyful people.

My sweet Liana Joy taught me so much about joy. And she’s still teaching me. When we named her “joy” it was just a name that sounded good with Liana. So we used it. When we brought her home, with all of the special needs and dreams lost, joy was NO WHERE to be seen. Those first two months my selfish and hurting heart felt like God was playing a cruel joke on me.

Instead, He was teaching me these three lessons on joy:

1. He is the source of my joy, not my circumstances.

2. Joy can be present, even with tears.

3. Choosing joy can’t just happen, but I can chose steps towards joy.

The steps I took toward joy were directly related to my Bible reading. In those moments, the small days and in-between days, I couldn’t deep rooted Bible study. I didn’t want to read chapters or think about context and answer reflection questions. In fact, I barley could read anything anyone else wrote on the Bible. But I had to put one foot in front of the other. One step. One verse. One passage at a time. Those days began the process of just writing God’s Word. Just write it out. I slowed down and hand-wrote scripture.

Stop striving, start reading. A simple method you can use is the JOY method.

JUST WRITE IT – Writing out God’s word is perfect excursive when we aren’t “feeling” close to God. It is a great way to get His Word in front of our eyes. We have to pay attention to what we are reading. We slow down and notice words we wouldn’t normally see.

OBSERVE WHAT YOU SEE – I would look for facts in the passage I was writing. Who was talking? Who was he/she talking to? What was going on around in the context of this passage? Just facts. Write down just the facts.

YOUR HEART’S RESPONSE – I would then ask the Lord, in prayer, to speak to my heart. Sometimes His word would jump off the pages and pierce my heart. Other times truth would wrap around my hurt. My heart’s response is always reflected in WHO GOD IS. So when I was struggling to feel a heart’s response, I would write truth about WHO GOD IS. A truth to hang on to for that day.

**NOW AVAILABLE** I have this method, plus 3 additional Bible study methods all found in one workbook. The digital version is READY! Check it out here!

DISCOVER the JOY method for studying the Bible!

Tweet This

Connect with me!

Facebook / / Twitter / / Instagram / / Pinterest

Is this you?

I am so overwhelmed and stressed by the people around me.
How do I feel the peace God promises in the middle of extreme heartache?
Thoughts about the future cause extreme fear.
Feelings of anxiety are underlying my heart, and no one sees it.

Unlock the secret to peace through the power of God’s Word and prayer! Download the FREE challenge here!

Welcome to Tuesday Talk!

Please pick ONE social media to follow EACH HOST. Drop your link below!

Link up here:

Loading InLinkz ...

3 Comments

Becky Hastings says:

August 1, 2017 at 7:53 am

Oh, how much I needed a reminder about JOY today! Thank you!
Leslie says:

August 1, 2017 at 8:54 am

Sarah, This JOY method is really good. I love it’s simplicity. What you shared about what you have been through is so encouraging because it helps us understand that even when we can’t sit down and study in depth, God is still with us, still providing a way for us to be able to keep taking those steps of faith and study His word in new a different ways that fit the seasons of our lives. Thank you for sharing here today and it was so gooooooood to meet you in person at She Speaks!!!
Donna Reidland says:

August 1, 2017 at 9:05 am

Sarah, those 3 lessons are such important ones. Sadly, we can get so focused on our circumstances that we miss the simple truth that joy is found in a Person … Jesus! Thanks for reminding us. Thanks, too, for hosting.