5 Meaningful Ways to Make Your Bible Study More Meaningful
When I first started really studying the Bible I used pre-written Bible studies. I still use them today, but there are times I want to do my own study. I want to let God’s word (not the voice of others) speak to my heart.
No matter how you engage with scripture, I would encourage you to try one or all of these 5 Meaningful Ways to Make Your Bible Study More Meaningful the next time you open your Bible!
5 Meaningful Ways to Make Your Bible Study More Meaningful
💡 1. Start with Prayer
📖 Jeremiah 33:3 – “Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.” (ESV)
God invites us to ask Him for insight. Starting your study with prayer aligns your heart with His truth. I would encourage you to pray for understanding, clarity, and openness before reading. This is a vital stp and easily skipped. But God commands us to pray, and there are a ton of examples of people praying for God to help them understand His Word. This is also super simple because the prayer doesn’t have to be long or fancy. Just a simple, “Help me understand…” makes a huge difference. I find that if I begin with prayer I’m more concentrated and God meets me more often in the pages of HIs word.
📚 2. Read with Purpose
📖 2 Timothy 3:16-17 – “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness…”
Every verse has a purpose—even the ones that seem confusing. We often ask, “What is God teaching me here?” and that is an ok reason. I’ve found it more helpful, especially if I’m in a season of struggling, to ask, “Where is God in this passage? What is He doing? What is He revealing about Himself here?” The Bible is there to shape us, but also to reveal to us God! Read with that purpose and it can really make a huge difference in your Bible reading and study time.
✍️ 3. Write it Down
📖 Proverbs 3:3 – “Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart.”
Last month I shared (share link from July 29) some helpful writing tips for using scripture to slow down and really meditate on God’s Word. Writing helps us remember and internalize God’s Word. If you can write a verse or several, or you can journal one truth that God is teaching you. Either way, writing out your thoughts, a verse, or even questions can impact your time with God’s Word in a meaningful way!
🔁 4. Meditate on a Key Verse
📖 Psalm 1:2 – “But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.”
Meditation isn’t emptying the mind—it’s filling it with God’s Word. I also have shared about mediating on God’s Word here https://sarahefrazer.com/2020/06/how-to-meditate-on-the-bible/ Mediating can mean re-reading or repeating a verse throughout the day to soak in its meaning. Write it on a card to re-read. It can mean to think about or look up the words in passage. When you find yourself waiting or scrolling, turn to that verse and reread it again!
❤️ 5. Live It Out
📖 James 1:22 – “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”
Bible study isn’t just about learning—it’s about transformation. I want to challenge you to choose one small way to obey what they’ve read that day. It might be simply to praise God for who He is, or ask forgiveness, or take a step of faith. Maybe you need to pray about a situation or make a choice. Trusting God or remembering a truth can be a part of it as well. Either way, Scripture needs to change us and it will if we allow it.
