This post is intended to help you find the (almost) perfect Bible study spot. It’s the first post in our series, Life-long Learners, where we share glimpses of our processes for studying the word. We hope to offer you encouragement, inspiration, and resources for your own times of study!
I love to read and study God’s Word!
I started reading my Bible when I was very young. I remember reading in my KJV illustrated Bible as early as 5 years old. Of course, I wasn’t really old enough to read most of the words, but I loved opening my full length Bible and hunting down the illustrations of Jesus feeding the 5,000 and Jesus walking on the water. When I was about 8 years old, I’d stay up late, pouring over the pages. In middle school, I would read the Bible aloud to the wall, just because I loved to hear the words out loud. But, it really wasn’t until high school that I began studying.
Over the past almost 30 years, my studying has changed, developed, grown, and changed more. Some of that is just the result of maturing spiritually. Some, though, is simply because different seasons have brought different dynamics and presented various challenges to my studies. All of it has been a journey of walking with the Savior and meeting with Him over the pages of His Word.
As these changes and this growth have taken place, I’ve adjusted the location of my studies. Here are three tips for finding the (almost) perfect spot to do your Bible studies, based on your current season. (“Almost” perfect because we all know that a perfect spot doesn’t exist, this side of heaven!)
Season: The Busy “Snacker”
In this season of life you are tired and on the go! Taking the kids to one event after another, waking to feed that baby in the middle of the night, or maybe headed out the door to care for aging parents. Life is busy and you are hungry! But long hours of time in the Word sounds like a dream too good to be true. Where and how can you have a productive Bible study session?
Spot: When you are in a season that is beyond your control externally, remember, God still wants you to be still and know that He is God. Find a quiet spot if you can (because your life probably isn’t quiet and you’re likely hungry for this). Maybe it’s in your bed in the morning, before your feet ever hit the floor? Because you know once they do they’ll be running non-stop! Or, you may need a portable, on-the-go spot (like your car) where you can have a few minutes of uninterrupted study. Here are some other ideas:
- Put a verse on your phone’s lock screen. When you wake up, lay in bed and read it several times. (Lockscreen = less distractions!) Try to memorize it, then look for something to apply (do) and something to pray.
- Listen to an audio Bible while you get ready for work. Turn the listening into study by stating out loud what you’ve learned and what passage you listened to.
- Study God’s Word by listening to a Bible study podcast or sermon in the car.
- At the breakfast table, read a few verses and write down quick questions that you’ll look into “someday” when you have time. (Then, someday, actually look them up.)
- On your lunch break, or when the baby naps, read a short Bible passage and look for truths, promises, and commands.
- Leave 5 minutes early for work, or plan to be home 5 minutes “late.” Before you get out of the car, spend those 5 minutes studying and praying about a short passage.
Season: Time for Tea
In this season, you have the time to devote to your voracious appetite for Scripture. Maybe you are unmarried, have no kids, or you have kids who are older. You just seem to be in a quiet season and can finally devote larger blocks of time to digging in deep! You are ready to read, absorb, discover, apply, and gain good Bible literacy.
Spot: If you have Time for Tea you might have (finally?) have time to devote to studying God’s Word each day, meet with a small group, do some homework, grab coffee with your Bible study teacher, and hop back into the Word to get some questions answered. (Not all in one day!) A great place for you to do your work is at a table, desk, or spread out on the couch or floor. You’ll likely have your Bible open, need space for your Bible study book, notebook or journal, pens, and coffee. You’ll want room to spread out all your things, write thoughtful responses, and look things up. Comfort is important because you may be here a while, but you’ll also need a functional space. You may even need access to a computer to do light research.
Here are some ideas:
- Set up a permanent area where you’ll have space. (This could be a corner or a room or closet)
- No space for a permanent area? Set up a portable “office.” Use a bin or basket to store your materials. Tuck them away and bring them out each day.
- Look for a quiet spot with no distractions, since you’ll be there a while.
- Ask yourself: Do I need music? Do I need a window? Or do these things steal my focus?
- Do I need a table top, desk, or lap desk? Do I need a comfy chair and blanket, or do I need to study in a more “academic” environment?
- In addition to the above suggestions, don’t forget to think outside the box. A portable “office” can be taken outside, to a coffee shop, and so on. Or, use your nightstand and bed and study when you first wake up or before you go to sleep.
Season: Delighting in Dessert
Are you delighted by the dessert of God’s Word– lingering on the sweetness of the honey-filled Word? You may be interested in theology, context studies, original languages and word studies, intended audience, verse mapping, and more. You may have a whole notebook of things you’ve learned and things you are studying. You likely have multiple reference books, or you have access to study books and resources online.
Spot: If you are “delighting in dessert” you know you need space– and maybe multiple spaces. You may need access to multiple resources and a computer almost every time you sit down so you can do deep research. You’ll need a table top surface to put your reference books, notebooks, and studies on as you work. You may even be prepping for classes that you lead. If your space gets crowded, consider a separate, comfy spot for prayer, away from the “work-zone” of your place of study.
- As God has taken you deeper into His Word and you have the time to spend, you’ve likely realized what space is (or spaces are) most comfortable for you. You might have a permanent area or a portable “office.”
- You may need an office bookshelf to store reference books and studies.
- Ask: Do I need a separate prayer spot, away from my work zone?
- Ask: Do I need a separate spot for “my” time with God, away from my work zone? (This is helpful if you are a teacher who finds herself often studying to pour into others. Don’t forget your personal “me time” with God!)
Seasons
These seasons above sound cut and dry. But we all know that real life isn’t like that. Sometimes we find ourselves in a snacking (busier than usual) season but we’re snacking on dessert… or maybe we have time on our hands and yet we aren’t spiritually hungering like we should. Or maybe we look at ourselves and see that we’re a mix of all seasons at the same time. Those sorts of things happen. That’s life!
The seasons also sound like they progress in spiritual maturity. In a way, sure, they can— but not entirely. We all know spiritually mature women with little time, or who get surprised by seasons where external factors press in so hard there is little time to devote to study. Bible study time in and of itself is absolutely not the sole indicator of spiritual depth or maturity.
Seasons change and the question isn’t, “Will I hunger?” The question really is, “What will I do with my hunger? How will I let Jesus satisfy it?”
Solutions?
As we think creatively, we can come up with solutions for our season and find a good place to study the way He’s leading us.
Over the years, I have studied God’s Word:
- On my couch or in a recliner
- In a rocking chair holding a baby
- In bed
- Beside my bed on the floor (I call this the “wake up and roll out” technique. I mastered this at one point because it was my only opportunity!)
- At the kitchen table
- At a work table
- At a desk
- At the computer
- While getting ready in the morning
- On podcasts or audio Bible in the car
- At a coffee shop
- On the beach
- Using my phone
- Using a big study Bible
- In a hospital
- In the floor, sprawled out
- Using a whiteboard
- With lots of reference books
- With no reference books
- With worship music playing
- With nothing but quiet… because I needed it so badly.
(I only mention this list to give you ideas. I’m sure you could create a similar list!)
It’s interesting to look at this list and remember the season I was in at the time. There’s a lot of places where I remember joys and happiness, and there are others where I recall busy-living, frustrations, sleeplessness, and even some pain. My season definitely affected the location I chose to do my study sessions.
What season are you in? (Or what combination of seasons?) What place can you choose, or what changes do you need to make, in order to continue having a fruitful study time? Do you need to add something? Eliminate something? Think outside the box?
If you’d like to think through the process of finding the (almost) perfect spot, here’s a printable for you:
CLICK HERE: Finding a Bible Study Spot
We hope it helps!
Challenge yourself today. You’ll never regret devoting yourself to the Lord through studying His Word. It is always a fruitful time, regardless of your season.
May you be blessed greatly as you meet with Christ over the pages of His Word!
In Him,
Ali
Studying Scripture is a treat — with BibleHub on hand and coloured pens at the ready — and I love learning Psalms — rolling it around in my mind for the few weeks that I can remember it. But recently I’ve started an intellectually demanding new job and I’m using Scripture reading as a kind of “anti-studying”. I’m reading the letters. Almost every work day has a point when my brain feels like it’s had enough (but it’s not hometime yet). At that point I step away from my desk, sit in a comfy chair (I’m WFH) and read a few verses — enough for everything else to recede and the calm of the Spirit to descend. Abiding rather than studying perhaps. After a short while I can return to work refreshed.