7 Practical Ideas for Engaging the Scripture When Days are Busy

I’m so glad you are joining us for week two of our series on Practical Ideas for ruthlessly eliminating hurry from our lives. If you missed week one’s post on Ideas for Praying When Days are Busy, you can read it HERE.

This week, we’re going to explore some practical ideas for helping us spend time in God’s Word, time that has meaning and depth and provides health for our souls — even if all we have is a few short minutes.

IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER: Chunks of time are definitely best. There’s nothing like an uninterrupted hour spent in God’s Word. However, on days when carving out large blocks of time is simply not possible, we must find ways to be with Him in the busyness.

Intentionality is required as we work to ruthlessly eliminate the hurry from our lives that squeezes out our Lord.

When hurry threatens to invade our lives, one of the first things typically squeezed out is time spent in God’s Word. After all, it does take some effort to locate our Bible and gather our faculties in order to read for meaning. What can possibly be gained from 5-10 minutes with an open Bible?

Consider these seven ideas for engaging with Scripture even on the busiest days.

Never Too Busy to Engage with Scripture

Listen to the Bible.

Download an app that will allow you to listen to the Bible while you are taking care of mundane chores. Other ways to listen are through CDs, DVDs, and online Bible site links.

Read the Bible in a Different Translation.

Some Bible translations are word for word while others are thought for thought. Either way, translations stick closely to the original language and answer the question, “What does it say?”

Variations in wording, no matter how slight, cause us to slow down and pay closer attention than reading from our “normal” version.

Write Out Scripture by Hand.

Choose a single verse or short passage from the Sunday sermon or a current study. Write your selection on an index card, your daily planner page, or in a journal you’ve designated for Scripture writing. The process takes only a few minutes but reaps powerful benefits as it slows you down to pay attention an see the detail within the Scripture.

Meditate on a Passage of Scripture.

Biblical meditation has almost become a lost art. Fill your mind with the truths of God’s Word by carefully considering it in its original context, mulling over its full meaning, an evaluating its application to your life.

Seem too time consuming? Try setting a meditation alarm on your phone. When it goes off, pull out your verse (hand-written, perhaps?) and spend 5-10 minutes meditating on it. Set multiple alarms in one day or one-a-day for several consecutive days. Each time the alarm goes off, meditate on the same verse until you are ready to move on.

Make it a Family Affair.

In view of your busy days, does the thought of memorizing Scripture overwhelm you? Undertake the task as a family. Choose a passage and work together, helping one another to memorize it. Write it out by hand, say it aloud, pray it, sing it, photograph it, dramatize it. Whatever it takes.

Scripture memorization helps us grow to be more like Christ, guards against sin, and is one of the most effective ways to meditate on God’s Word.

Read the Bible with Focus.

Don’t have an hour or two? It’s still possible to read with focus by shortening the length of the passage you work with or by engaging with the same passage over an extended period. Spend 10 minutes with the passage today, 10 tomorrow, and 15 the next day. Keep coming back to the same passage until you hear the Holy Spirit moving you on.

• Read, read, read, and read some more. The same passage over several days.
• Substitute your name for personal pronouns.
• Substitute your name for personal pronouns.
• Make a list.
• Draw a picture.
• Rephrase the Scripture using your own words or summarize it.
• Pray it.

Ask Questions.

As you read those shorter passages of Bible text on your very busy days, ask questions.

• What does this passage reveal to me about the character of God?
• Where do I see the work of His hands?
• How am I to respond? (Make application to your daily life.)

Consider making lists or journaling what you learn about God every time you read the Bible.

Which idea will you implement this week as you intentionally set about to eliminate hurry from your life or do you have another to share with us?

The Bible is one of God’s greatest gifts to His people. It’s a gift that is vital to the health of our soul. Yet many of us are missing out on many of the benefits of this amazing gift because we don’t feel that we know how to read it for understanding. Engaging the Scripture explores 5 ways a reader can learn to interact with the text of the Bible, encountering God.

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