Simple Bible Verse Mapping To Jumpstart Your Bible Study

While it breaks my heart, I need to share something with you - I've not been taking my quiet time during the day like I usually do. I'm still praying, still reading and still teaching, but I've not dug as deeply into God's word as faithfully as I once did.

Sure, there are a lot of excuses I could give, like increased responsibilities at work, stress, exhaustion, spring cleaning ... but you already know these because you're probably experiencing some of them, too.

Excuses aside, I need Bible study to keep my mind stimulated, my heart focused and my emotions in check. I am calmer, more at peace and a little wiser after I study, and I want those things back in my life. Hopefully you do, too.

During a recent Bible reading time, the devotion quoted Deuteronomy 33:27 in another translation, so I had to go read it in KJV. The words of this beautiful verse made my heart skip a beat:

The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them. Deuteronomy 33:27

Now, if that verse doesn't stir up the heart of a woman doing spiritual battle right now, I don't know what will! I have a place of refuge where I can rest in God's everlasting arms. You can't tell me you didn't just sing the chorus of that hymn. I know I did. It also says that we don't have to worry about facing the enemy unprepared because God is going ahead of us to get rid of them and destroy them. What a reason to praise the Lord!

Reading is reading and studying is studying, which may seem simplistic, but they are two very different things. I can read my Bible for hours and days, and the Holy Spirit will definitely show me what He wants me to know, but studying brings in more resources to shed more light and more wisdom. For example, I have Matthew Henry's commentary on my iPad app where I read my devotions. He's one of my favorites, and he always looks at passages differently than I do. I also have my paper Bible with references to other Scriptures in the center column. With these two reference sources next to me, I can study. For. Days.

So starting with the Deuteronomy verse, I went to Matthew Henry, and he made the comment that never were the Israelites so well seated and well sheltered than when they were claiming refuge in God. My Bible dictionary's definition of refuge is a habitation or mansion-house where you are safe, easy and at rest, as a man in his house. What a beautiful description of our trust in God, enough that we can let our guard down, relax and have complete faith that He will handle our situations for us.

A note in my paper Bible (that I wrote there at some point) said that our soul returns to God and reposes in Him as our resting place. And who doesn't need some rest right now, in this world full of noise and busyness? In the reference column by that note, it sent me to a psalm that repeats this thought - and anything God repeats is vitally important.

Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the LORD hath dealt bountifully with thee. Psalm 116:7

My soul is called to take refuge in the one place I'll find real, true, refreshing rest - in the sheltering arms of God. This is my soul's hiding place when trouble rears its ugly head. Oh my goodness, how much did I need these words this week! I don't have to go through life beaten down, weary and sad. I can find replenishment any time I need it, I just have to turn to God and His word.

See the pattern here? Reading, looking, studying, writing, curiosity and praying. Yes, it takes a little bit of our precious time, but I can't begin to tell you how refreshed I was after these 20 minutes or so of studying. It didn't solve all my problems, but it reminded me of how much God cares about my life and my circumstances. It made me curious about what God says about other things, like love, joy, peace and standing firm. I can pick any topic that God lays on my heart, do a little digging and turn up shovels full of treasure from His word. 

What Bible verse will you study this week?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Holland Creme - That Amazing White Stuff In Donuts

Image
I remember going to the grocery store every Saturday morning when I was growing up, and my favorite place in the entire store was the donut case. All the glazed, powdered and filled baked goods drew me like a magnet. My favorites, far and away, were the ones filled with that beautiful white, fluffy creme. At the time I didn't know it was called Holland Creme - I just knew it was the most amazing concoction ever. Ever. Here is my version of this sweet treat. You can make your own fried donuts and fill them, or like I did here, you can cut a crevice into store-bought donuts with a knife and fill them with creme in a piping bag. Either way, you're going to love it. Ingredients: 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup water 1 cup vegetable oil 1 cup shortening 1 cup butter 1 Tbsp vanilla 7 cups powdered sugar 1. Make a simple syrup by combining sugar and water in a sauce pan over medium heat until boiling, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool complet...
Read more

Recovering An Old Card Table And Making It Usable Again

Image
This card table recover project has been on my to-do list for months. I've been using it as my workspace in the craft room for quite some time, and it sees a lot of abuse. Here it is now, with a neutral cover on it so I can take better pictures for my tutorials. There were dents and dings in the old blue covering from metal tools. And yes, I've used my embossing heat tool on it several times, leaving pretty good scars. The padding underneath the blue cover also made it difficult to keep paper crafts flat when adhering them together, so it was time for something new. That's where a simple vinyl tablecloth comes in handy. The process to recover the table is pretty simple, but I learned a couple of lessons the hard way. I share them with you now. First, don't do this on any surface but a carpet. I tried it on the deck int he sunshine to get better pictures, but all it did was tear up the cover. Second, get a second pair of hands to help you kee...
Read more

Crafts For Teen Girls To Make

Image
In our teen girls Bible study, we're studying our way through the Proverbs 31 woman and it's been such a blessing to me, as I hope it's been to them. Every month we spend an afternoon or an evening together studying Scripture, making something amazing in the kitchen and creating something that corresponds to the verse we're in. Choosing the crafts each time can be a challenge for several reasons. It needs to be something they can completely finish (or do most of) because once they leave they're probably not going to work on it themselves - that's just the nature of teenagers. Remember? It also needs to be a project that keeps they're attention, is age-appropriate and is cool enough that they'll want to keep it or give it to someone special. But hey, no pressure on the Bible study leader, right? Here are just a few of the projects we've done together in the year we've been meeting. * This month's craft will be the adorable cross stit...
Read more