May 2020

One very effective way of interacting with the Bible is called SOAP. Using SOAP has a way of slowing us down so we can better absorb God’s Word into our lives. SOAP represents four ACTION steps: Study, Observe, Apply, and Pray.  Let’s talk about these steps one at a time.

The truth is, the “S” of SOAP could represent FOUR words: Study a Short Selection of Scripture. 

A short selection is recommended, because in this first step, you’re going to write this scripture — word for word — in your journal.

This hand written process forces your mind to contemplate every single word of your selected verse as you write it down in your journal.

Which passage should you study? One approach is to simply study any scripture that pops out to you as you read God’s Word. 

Now, You may have the experience where NOTHING pops out. If that’s the case, don’t worry about it. SOAP isn’t something you need to do EVERY DAY; it’s just a useful tool to use when God DOES highlight a certain portion of scripture to you.

Think of it this way: We’ve all had amazing meals we’ll never forget, But, there’s many more meals that we’ll NEVER remember. Regardless, each of these meals was important; we need them to stay healthy and keep growing.

In the same way, it’s always good to spend time reading the Bible — even when nothing in particular stands out. We need that daily intake of scripture to stay healthy and keep growing. 

So, when a verse does stand out, you can SOAP it, which gives more time for that truth to soak deep into your spirit.

Now that you’ve written out a scripture for today’s study, write down anything that you observe about this passage.

You might find it helpful to ask a few questions, such as:

• Who is this written BY? 
• To whom is this written TO?
• Is there anything in this passage I’ve never noticed before?
• What is the context of this passage? (In other words, what comes before and after these verses)?
• Are there any specific words or phrases that stand out to me?
• Does THIS passage remind me of any OTHER Bible passages?

Now, these questions are just examples. Depending on the verses you select, you might think of a whole different set of questions.

The point is, during this step, you’re making OBSERVATIONS about the passage you’ve selected for study, and you’re writing DOWN these observations, just as you wrote down your selected scripture in step one.

Do your best to not skip this step. Someday, when you flip back through your past journal entries, your future self will thank you for taking a few moments to write down what you observe about this passage.

For this step, ask yourself one simple question, “What is the Holy Spirit saying to me through these verses?”

Take a moment to quiet yourself, and listen for God’s voice. He may have something to say regarding your thoughts, your actions, your relationships, your plans, your dreams — and unless we consciously take the time to JUST LISTEN, we may miss out on what he has to say.

Now, as you ask what the Holy Spirit is saying to you through these verses, be sure to write it down. Again, your future self will thank you for it. Whatever you write down today, might be a huge blessing to you at some point in the future.

This final step is a culmination of the previous three steps: the scripture that popped out to you, the observations you made about it, and the various applications God put on your heart — each of these come together in a conversation with God.

Your prayer could include things like: thanking God for the truths that He highlighted during your study of the the Bible today, thanking him for what he helped you to observe, and asking for his help to apply these truths and observations to your life.

There’s no formula to follow for this prayer. Some days it may be very short, and other days it might be longer. Either way, take a few moments to write this prayer out — word for word — in your journal.

And that’s the four steps of SOAP: study, observe, apply, and pray. We pray it will be an effective tool to help you better interact with God’s Word.

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash