9 Ways to Meditate on Scripture
You may do a meditation study in sections
a few minutes each day, concentrating on one verse a week.
Ordinarily, you may prefer to select a verse you have been
memorizing or perhaps the key verse in a passage or a chapter
you have read or studied during your quiet times. After you
select a verse, pray, claiming James 1:5 for wisdom to apply
God’s Word.
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Perimeter of the
Verse. Read the verses before and after the verse
to establish the theme and the setting, which will aid you
in interpretation. Then write a summary of the passage.
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Paraphrase the
Verse. Write the verse in your own words. Say your
paraphrase aloud.
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Pulverize the Verse.
Digest the verse by using three ways to assimilate
its truths. Emphasize a different word in the verse as you
read or repeat it. Then state the opposite meaning to reveal
what the verse says. Write at least two important words
from those you have emphasized in the verse. Ask these questions
about the two words to relate the Scripture to your needs:
What? Why? When? Where? Who? How?
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Personalize the
Verse. Let the Holy Spirit apply the verse to a
need, a challenge, an opportunity, or a failure in your
life. What will you do about this verse as it relates to
your life? Be specific.
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Pray the Verse
Back to God. Pray the verse back to God, making
it personal. Vocalize or write the verse as you pray it
back to God.
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Parallel Passages.
Refer to other passages that emphasize the truth of the
verse.
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Problems in the
Verse. List thoughts or ideas you might not understand
or might have difficulty applying in your life. Discuss
them with a Sunday School teacher, Bible Study, or with
a Christian friend.
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Possibilities for
Helping Others Through the Verse. Write a way you
can use the verse to help another person.
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Protracted Study.
Record plans for further study of this verse.
