Study Time
I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways.
Studying the Bible is all about diving into the depths of God’s Word. The goal here is to slow down and study in unrushed reflection.
This practice of study is what David described in Psalm 119:15 (NLT) when he said, “I will study your commandments and reflect on your ways.” That word for reflect in the Hebrew means “to behold; to consider; to scan; to regard with pleasure, favor, and care.” I particularly love the description “to regard with pleasure, favor, and care.”
There’s a real meticulousness, thoughtfulness, and understanding of the preciousness of what we’re holding in this word reflect. As a dad, the only thing I can think of that even comes close to this idea is the first time I held my firstborn child. I remember that moment like it was yesterday. The doctor placed him in my arms, and I held him with tear-filled, indescribable joy, but also extreme care and an understanding of the fact that something precious was in my arms. I scanned him from top to bottom, looking at each feature—his eyes, his nose, his cute little fingers and toes. I regarded him with pleasure and favor as the purpose-giving joy and satisfaction of fatherhood set in.
Studying the Bible for depth is when you take a few verses that really speak to you and you dissect them. It’s when you really spend time digging into what those verses are saying, what God is saying to you specifically, and how you can apply it to your everyday life.
