6 Steps to Draw CLOSER to God
Have you ever begun a Bible study only to be distracted by the never-ending to do list running through your head?
Or maybe you stare at your Bible, longing to read it but you're unsure of where to start?
Or possibly you complete the Bible study but the experience is just lackluster and leaves you unsatisfied.
I have experienced all of these feelings and more in regards to Bible study. I have tried so many Bible study methods - SOAP, SOAK, WORD, ACTS, REAP... I've tried them all. I've tried countless notebooks, journals, and planners with the aim of helping my Bible study. All of them have some things that work and others that don't. So one day I started listing what had worked with each of them to determine which pieces actually helped me to study God's word like a scholar (used loosely here), gain some sort of understanding from what I read, and feel closer to God in the process. Just knowing about Him, wasn't enough. I wanted to truly KNOW Him. To know His character and hear Him speak. Thus, the CLOSER method of Bible study was born for me.
The C in CLOSER stands for Connect. This first step is critical for me. I tend to be distractable and impulsive. I am also always thinking about the next thing I need to do, when to do it, and how to do it. That kind of thinking just isn't conducive to a thriving quiet time. When I come before my God and my Creator, I want to sit at His feet and be completely attentive to what He has to show me or tell me that day. I don't want the distractions of this world to infiltrate this sacred time I have with Him.
So the first thing I do in my quiet time is connect. During the Connection I may sing a song, recite some passages from memory, pray, write some gratitude, or meditate on a verse. I don't do all of these things every day. Instead, I strategically choose the one or two activities here that will calm my body, still my mind, and prepare my heart for the study that is coming. Sometimes I only need a moment here. Other times I spend several minutes. This portion of my Bible study is very fluid to accommodate my needs each day. The most important thing to remember here is that we are coming before the throne of God Himself. He deserves our full attention.
After connect it's time to Lean in.
Lean in just means we are going to lean into scripture. Whether I am reading my paper Bible, digital Bible, or even just listening to the audio version on my phone, I try to really lean into the words and pay attention to them. I try to limit distractions and really hear, read, and savor each every word on the page.
Sometimes, I opt to read the words aloud to myself. Not only does this help to keep my attention, I also tend to read more slowly when I read aloud, so it helps me to focus on individual words - like the time I realized that the word "Lord" in the Old Testament is written differently (LORD vs. Lord) and there is a different meaning to the capitalization of the word. I will also sometimes reread a short passage or a verse and enunciate a different word each time I read it. Take Psalm 112:7 for example:
SHE confidently trusts the Lord to take care of her.
She CONFIDENTLY trusts the Lord to take care of her.
She confidently TRUSTS the Lord to take care of her.
She confidently trusts THE Lord to take care of her.
(You get the idea.)
This leaning in is really important for me, personally. The action of leaning into the scripture helps to slow me down so that I can really savor the Word. All too often I rush through the tasks I have on any given day to “be more productive” or try to “get more done.” But when it comes to Bible study, lately I have been trying to really slow my pace and take in each and every word from Scripture since it is the very breath of God.
Next in the routine is to Observe. This is where the time I have to devote to my Bible study that day really starts to affect my actions. I choose one or more of the tasks here, depending on the time I have to study and the depth of study in which I want to engage.
Here, I may ask myself some basic 5W + H questions:
Who? Who wrote it? Who was it written to? What was it written about?
What? What is happening?
Where? Where is it happening? Where was it written?
When? When is it happening? When was it written?
Why? Why was it written? Why are these actions happening?
How? How did these events come about?
I also examine the historical context of the book. I have several study Bibles that each include a book introduction that provides this information. Additionally, I often use one of my Bible apps to find this information. It's important when we start interpreting scripture that we understand the historical context of the population who would have received the scripture first-hand.
After the historical context and basic information I reread the scripture in other translations, paying special attention to the vocabulary that is used. I particularly enjoy the Amplified Bible for this exercise. I sometimes note these changes in vocabulary by recording them directly into my Bible. I also look for attributes of God. The entire Bible is about God and His character - so where do I see those characteristics shining through in the scripture.
One newer concept for me is the idea of the meta-narrative of scripture. I was an early 30-something (just a few years ago) when I learned of this idea that Jesus is woven throughout scripture (yes, even in the Old Testament) and that the Bible tells His story. It isn't a handbook for daily living. We can learn a lot about living a Christian life, but that's not it's purpose. It isn't actually about me. The Bible was written for the sole purpose of communicating God's master plan to us, His people.
And finally, my word for this year is Trust. So every day during my Bible study time I am looking for ways and reasons to trust God. I know they are there, and I do trust Him. But this word was definitely put on my heart this year and I am trying to really lean into it and search for it in scripture.
One of the hardest, but most important, parts of my Bible study time is S - Silent.
I try to sit silently and meditate on one verse, or phrase, or even one word, from the reading that daily. Sometimes it's the reason I can trust God, or one of His attributes that I meditate on. But it is really, really difficult to hear God speak to me if I never take the time to listen for His voice. I will sometimes say a prayer in this part of my Bible study, but it is usually in service of asking God to help sit still and know He is with me, or to give me the concentration to stay focused on Him during this time. I'm up to about 2 minutes, but don't let that intimidate you! I thought I would start with 30 seconds but my first try I only made it about 6 seconds before my mind began to wander. So I set a goal for 10 seconds, then 15, then 20, then 30 and so on. I continue to stretch in this area and set goals to sit totally quiet and listen.
E - Enhance. This is another area of my Bible study that I continue to try and make more time for, but honestly as a busy mama this section sometimes get cut short. In this section of my Bible study I enhance my learning for the day with one strategy to dig even deeper. I may map a single verse from the reading that really stands out to me, or do a particular study of that passage: topic, character or word.
I use a lot of resources from Arabah Joy and the Bible Girl to help with my studying here. This is also where I read any commentary on the passage. Sometimes I use the Message translation, or the Passion translation as commentary to better understand the passage.
This is also where I sometimes have some extra time to get really creative with some Bible journaling. I have one Bible just for the artistic representation of the reading, but since beginning my doctoral program, I have less and less time for art and creativity. It's one aspect of my Bible study time I hope to reinstate in a calmer, less busy season of life. The season I am in right now just doesn't easily led itself to getting out all my paints, brushes, stamps and stickers to artistically represent the scripture. A quick Pinterest search for "Bible journaling" will yield a vast array of ideas and inspiration if Bible journaling is something that interests you.
The last step in my Bible study is R - Reflect & Respond.
During this portion I look at the scripture and everything I have learned and I try to determine how I can apply the learning to my own life. I use a list of questions by Rick Warren that collective spell "SPACEPETS". The questions help me to consider if there are any prayers to pray, promises to keep, sins to confess, anything to thank God for, and a host of other points.
This section also always includes an additional prayer. I ask God to help me think on the scripture throughout the day and recall it as needed to handle everything life, and the enemy, throw at me.
I hope that this CLOSER method is something that God can use to help you during your Bible study time. If you don't have a method of Bible study or your current method has you leaving your Bible study time feeling lackluster and wanting more, consider using this method to draw CLOSER to God!
If you have a system or a method that works for you, please use it! And comment below what it is!
Joyfully in prayer,
