What Does It Say?

I will meditate on your precepts and think about your ways. —Psalm 119:15

Have you ever read a portion of Scripture only to realize you have no idea what you just read? That has happened to me more times than I care to admit.

Reading God’s Word is the starting place in getting to know God. But before we can interpret and apply it to our lives, we need to understand what it says. Here are a few ways you can go about getting the Word grafted into your heart and life.

One way is to summarize the text. Write a brief overview of the passage, including the major points.

Another idea is to paraphrase. Write the passage in your own words. Or ask questions, as if you were writing a news story: Who wrote it? What happened? When was it written? Where did this happen? How did it happen? Why was this written?

Don’t get hung up in the mechanics of a particular method. The important thing is getting into the Word and the Word getting into you. Find out what works best for you, then do it.