How I Study the Bible

Engaging with Scripture is a vital part of growing in your relationship with Christ. But what we want you to understand is there is no one right way to study Scripture. How your best friend spends time in the Bible, how your pastor studies Scripture—it may look different than the way you engage with the Word.

We're launching this semi-regular series on The Bookery. We'll sit down with various people from all walks of life to learn how they approach their time in God's Word and what they've learned as they continue to practice the discipline. First up is our founder, Mandy Crow.

At The Bookery, we encourage women (and all people) to consistently spend time engaging with Scripture. What does that look like for you?

What I've learned about myself over the years is that if I want to make sure something gets accomplished, I need to make it part of my morning routine. If I wait until after work—when I have other obligations or chores or whatever—it doesn't happen. That's true of exercise, and it's true of reading the Bible. I think it's important to have at least some space in your day or week where you focus solely on Scripture, and for me, that's early in the morning before my day gets crazy.

For me, I generally start my day walking the dog. For the past few years, I've listened to the Bible using the YouVersion Bible app while I do. It's a helpful way to start my day. A little later (after I exercise), I sit down in a certain place in my living room with a hot cup of coffee and open my Bible. I use a reading plan (it helps me to have a plan), and I usually start by praying and asking God to open my heart and mind to understand what He is trying to teach me. Sometimes I journal, take notes or read a short devotion. Then, I close out that time with prayer.

What are some practices that have helped you to grow?

I think that there are sometimes practices that are really great in a particular season and that it's OK if your time with God doesn't always look the same forever. In the past, prayer journaling was vital for me, but now I use something I call my prayer box where I keep track of answering and ongoing prayers. There was a point in my life when God really used the psalms to speak to my heart. I would read through the book and then start over again as soon as I'd finished. One thing I've recently started doing is writing Scripture in my own handwriting. My goal is to handwrite each of the four Gospels in 2022. It really helps me to engage with the text in a different way.

When you feel discouraged or scared, are there particular passages you turn to?

As I said, the psalms are a lifeline for me. When I feel discouraged, afraid, disappointed, it's helpful to see that there were others who struggled and cried out to God. During a time of deep sadness in my life, one morning I woke up at the first coherent thought I had was, "In this world you will have trouble. Take heart! I have overcome the world." Since then, John 16:33 has been a favorite verse of mine. Jesus doesn't promise us that life will be easy or that we'll get everything we want—He promises us himself.

If you could give advice or tips to someone who is trying to build a practice of studying Scripture, what would you suggest?

I think just picking a time and making that your time to spend in the Bible—whether that's 5 minutes or 45 minutes. For me, it helps to have a plan for what I'm going to study so that I don't spend all my time trying to figure that out each morning. Wherever you can build some time in your life to engage with Scripture, do it—in the morning, at lunch, during your commute or daily walk. I think it's just important to find a time and method that works for you.

What tips or advice would you share? Let us know in the comments.