Temperatures are falling, and soon leaves will follow, but here in Middle Tennessee we’re expecting highs in the upper eighties. Often after being out in the sun, heat, and humidity, a glass of sweet tea beckons us, along with a refreshing cool shower. And what else do we need in the shower? Soap! Although we won’t find the soap mentioned below there, it offers a time of refreshing, too.
The church we attend distributes a S.O.A.P. Guide each month. Each day suggests a specific chapter from the Bible they invite us to read. Reading from our guide each day is a great way to get God’s Word into our hearts and minds. We read, jot down verses, summarize what we think God is saying, apply what we read to our lives, and pray.
Perhaps you or your church uses the S.O.A.P. method of Bible journaling, too. You can use this method with any Bible reading plan.
S for Scripture—write out a verse or two that spoke to you.
O for Observation—jot down what you think God is saying through the Scripture.
A for Application—note how these verses apply to your life right now.
P for Prayer—ask God to help you apply what you’ve learned.
The journal I use is a weekly planner. I write with a different color ink for each letter response, but I run out of space before I get to my prayer. Instead, often my application is a request or declaration to the Lord.
This is part of my entry for Psalm 42.
Scripture
5. Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.
Observation
When we feel down, we are to put our hope in God and trust He will see us through.
Application
I will trust the Lord!
Prayer—as stated above, I don’t write these out. I can’t stop with one or two verses and take too much space by writing three or four. But if I were to write my prayer, it would be something simple like this: Lord, I put my hope in you and praise your holy name. Help me trust You in every situation that comes my way.
I end with a word of thanksgiving that I place at the top of my entry each day. It may be gratitude for something that happened or thanksgiving for a promise I read from God’s Word that day. With Psalm 42, I wrote—I’m thankful for the rain we’ve gotten and for what is predicted to come.
In checking online, I found a nifty S.O.A.P journal I plan to order that includes a gratitude section at the bottom of each page. There’s enough space to allow me to expand my thoughts and write my prayers, too.
Grab your Bible, journal, and pens and find a time of refreshing with S.O.A.P.
Photo by Roman Synkevych - Unsplash