Five Tips to Effectively Study the Bible

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One of the greatest places to find hope and encouragement during all of life’s troubles is in the Word of God. There is nothing better than diving into the Bible and letting the Lord reveal new and amazing things to you! As wonderful as it is, I know there are so many people out there who struggle with figuring out how to study the Bible (I definitely do sometimes). If we’re being honest, it’s not an easy book to read. There are layers upon layers of meaning and insight, and working through all of that is tough. There is a reason Bible scholars dedicate their entire lives to this task—it really does take that much devotion to do it justice!

Obviously, most people are not Bible scholars. The average person doesn’t have the ability to spend all day every day deciphering every figurative meaning and nuance within all 66 books of the Bible. Yet, it is still crucial for us to devote time to studying the Word. Without it, we would know nothing about how to live as Christ lived, to love as he loved, and to approach everything we do with the confidence that the Lord is with us. Paul explains the use of the Word of God in 2 Timothy, and I love how he explains why studying it is so important:

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NIV)

The Bible enables us to be “equipped for every good work.” In other words, the Bible gives us the tools we need to carry out God’s instructions for our lives. Without it, we would lack what we need to follow Him to the fullest of our ability.

The Difference Between Reading and Studying the Bible

Knowing all of this doesn’t make studying the Bible any easier, unfortunately. So what does? I think the first step to effectively studying the Bible is to understand the difference between reading and studying. When we simply read the Bible, we aren’t diving in deep and pulling out what isn’t explicitly written. It’s surface level—you’re taking in the events, timelines, people, etc. and learning the literal stuff that’s been written.

Studying is different. It goes deeper, so that you’re no longer focusing on the literal, but rather, you’re pulling out the figurative. I say it this way not to imply that the revelation you receive by doing this isn’t real, but to show the difference between reading and studying. I studied English in college, and my professor for one of the high-level poetry classes I took said to us, “There are always two meanings in every poem: the literal and the figurative.” She tasked us to find both for every single poem we read for her class. It’s something that has always stuck with me. Such a simple concept, yet it enabled me to stop overcomplicating my thought process and just focus on what the poets were trying to say through their words.

I approach the Bible in a similar way. When I read, I’m looking for the literal meaning, and when I study, I’m searching for the figurative. I believe both are necessary, but the latter is typically more difficult. After you’ve distinguished the difference, there are some steps that can help to make studying the Bible a little easier.

As a disclaimer, this is what works for me, but it might not work for you. Remember, my background is in English and studying complicated literature, so that’s how I approach reading the Bible. My method doesn’t work for everyone, so if you have other tips, make sure to leave them in the comments! Things like this take some trial and error, so at the very least, I hope this will give you a starting point.

1. Start in prayer.

I have found that the best way to have a quality Bible study is to talk to God first. It doesn’t have to be some complicated prayer with in-depth theological thoughts or questions. You could say something as simple as, “Lord, show me something new in your Word today.” Remember, if you ask, He will give it to you! So before you dive into the Bible, take a moment to talk to Him. Tell Him what’s on your heart and ask for His guidance as you seek new revelation.

I also love doing this because it sets my heart posture in a place of receiving. I find it difficult to jump right into studying the Word if I’ve been focused on me and my life all day. Taking some time to just be in the presence of God and draw close to Him is so beneficial (even if you aren’t about to study the Bible!). I will usually put on some worship music in the background and just sit with Him for a bit. It helps me to realign my mind with His thoughts and get ready to hear from Him.

2. Have study resources on hand.

I learn so much about the Bible and about God from reading what other people have discovered during their time with Him. Having personal time with God doesn’t mean you can’t use other resources; it just means you are intentionally seeking Him on your own terms. So use other resources! There are so many people out there who literally dedicate their lives to understanding the Bible. I think it would be foolish not to see what they have to say.

So what are some good resources? Dictionaries, commentaries, a good concordance, Bible study plans, worksheets or questions that help guide you—basically anything that can give you new perspective or understanding on what you’re studying! One of my all-time favorites is the Blue Letter Bible. It’s like 100 resources packed into one, so it makes it really easy to find a lot of information.

Another reason I love Blue Letter Bible is that it will take you through the etymology of every word in the Bible. If you read last week’s post about submission, then you know how much I love this! The Bible wasn’t originally written in English, so I believe a key to studying is looking into the original Greek or Hebrew words and seeing what they mean.

If this isn’t your speed, then figure out how you like to study and dive into that. Maybe you’re really into historical context and you like to know how the events of the Bible fit into history. That’s a great avenue to take and there are so many resources for it! Whatever it is that really clicks for you, find resources outside of your own knowledge. This step alone will instantly take your Bible study time to the next level!

3. Ask questions.

This is probably the MOST important part. Asking questions is how we learn new things. Let yourself become a five-year-old again when you study the Bible. Ask “why?” over and over again to the point that it would probably annoy someone!

The great thing is that our questions never bother God. I truly believe He welcomes them, because asking Him questions means we are seeking Him.

There are so many places in my Bible where I put a question mark next to a highlighted verse or I’ve squeezed some thought about what I don’t understand into the margins. To me, those questions are some of the most important things to come out of my time in the Word.

What I have learned the more I study is that, even if your question never gets a complete answer (there are so many things about God and His kingdom that our human minds will simply never understand), the simple act of asking will always bring you closer to Him. It will allow you to come into a place where you can get deep with the Lord where you can challenge what you don’t understand. He doesn’t need us to just blindly accept what the Word says—nor does He want us to! What kind of free will would that be?

So ask all of the questions! Sometimes when I’m reading the Bible, I will literally say out loud, “God, this makes no sense. Why would you do that?” When I start talking to Him like that, that’s when I have the greatest revelations. And your questions don’t have to just stay between you and God! Talk things out with others, take your uncertainties to someone who might know more than you, someone who can give you sound spiritual guidance. One of the best parts of studying the Bible is working through those difficult questions with others.

4. Move slow.

Studying the Bible is a marathon, not a sprint!

There is SO MUCH in there, and if you just try to read as much as you can in however much time you might have, you probably won’t get super deep. Again, there’s a difference between reading and studying. If your goal is to study, you have to take it slow. Sometime it takes time to unveil what the Lord wants to reveal to you, so don’t try to rush it. I have literally spent hours on a single Bible verse before, and it was just as fulfilling as if I had read an entire book! Between reading the verse, checking other resources, asking questions, listening for revelation, searching other translations of the Bible…there’s a lot to do.

Take your time and remind yourself that God doesn’t need you to read a certain number of verses in order to reveal something to you.

Another important aspect of moving slow is understanding that even if you spend five hours studying a verse, you probably won’t pull out every little thing the Lord is saying through it. That’s why you can’t just read the Bible once and be done. Hebrews 4:12 tells us that “the Word of God is living and active,” so there’s no way we will ever understand every single thing written in the Bible. Part of moving slow is knowing when to move on. There will always be another day to come back and revisit things, and there will always be something new to glean from His Word!

5. Continue listening for revelation after you put your Bible away.

Bible study doesn’t end when you close your Bible. Sometimes I have gotten the coolest revelations from the Lord about something I was studying at the most random times later in the day. God has this great habit of speaking to us when we least expect it, so don’t drop what you were studying just because you have to move on with your day. Keep His Word in your heart and meditate on what you studied throughout the day.

Be open and ready to receive what He has for you all the time, whether you’re taking a shower, driving, in a meeting, picking up kids from school, making dinner—wherever you are and whatever you are doing, look at it as an opportunity to hear from God. When we stop listening, we cut off the line of communication between us and God. So don’t stop listening when you put your Bible away. Another way to do this it to talk to others around you about what you have been studying, ask them what they think, and listen for what God wants to say to you through them.

Remember, God is not restricted to the time you spend with your Bible open in front of you, so don’t make the mistake of only expecting Him to reveal something then!

Learning how to study the Bible does not have to be a difficult task! It might take some trial and error, but once you find the steps that work for you, I promise you will get so much fulfillment out of your time in the Word. These are just five tips for how to study the Bible, but there are so many more! If you have any that really work for you, leave them in the comments so that others can try them.

I am praying you have new revelation as you study the Word and spend time seeking Him. Until next week!