I rejoice at Your word like one who finds great spoil. — Psalm 119:162
Imagine a treasure map that leads you to the reward of intimacy with God in His Word. My hope is that following the four steps of the MAPS Method will help you find great spoil in God’s Word on a daily basis. The psalmist says it this way: ‘I rejoice at Your word like one who finds great spoil’ (Psalm 119:162).
Beware of the many ways that we can subtly misunderstand what the Bible is saying, steering clear of these dangerous approaches to reading the Bible:
- The Emotional Approach: What feels good to me?
- The Pragmatic Approach: What works best for me?
- The Spiritual Approach: What deep, hidden meaning is there for me?
- The Superficial Approach: What does this mean to me?
The common denominator in those questions, the word “me,” betrays a consumeristic mindset. By contrast, a much more dependable approach is embodied in the MAPS method. Let’s look a bit more closely at each aspect of the acrostic:
1. Meditate on and memorize God’s Word.
Reading the Bible can involve merely seeing or saying the words without pausing to ponder what they mean. The goal can become simply checking off a box and moving on to something else. But meditation is different. Meditating on the Bible involves thinking deeply about what we’re reading and reflecting prayerfully on what it means. God calls us not to just read His Word but to “meditate on it day and night” (Psalm 1:1–3).
Similarly, memorization is a practical way we can meditate on God’s Word. It involves repeating the Word over and over again in our minds, and sometimes with our mouths, until it becomes second nature. The psalmist wrote,
I have stored up Your word in my heart, that I might not sin against You. — Psalm 119:11
Memorization is the process of “storing up” God’s Word in a way that helps us walk with God in our lives.
2. Apply the Scriptures to every layer of our lives.
It’s possible to meditate on and memorize God’s Word yet miss the point. God warns,
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. — James 1:22
As that passage continues, God emphasizes listening and looking into His Word. But if we stop there, we’ll deceive ourselves and miss the point altogether. Of course, no one obeys God’s Word flawlessly, so we shouldn’t expect perfection. But for those who have God’s Spirit living in them, there should be evidence that the Word is gradually transforming their lives.
3. Pray the Bible with bold faith that God will give us what we ask.
This third step in experiencing intimacy with God through studying the Bible is vital for faith and spiritual growth. What makes it even more life-giving is the fact that neither prayer nor Bible study is a one-way street. As we prayerfully invest time studying the Scriptures, we hear from God, and this naturally (or better put, supernaturally) leads to expressing our hearts to Him as He hears from us. That aligns with another scripture, Matthew 6:7–8, which warns against wordy, empty prayers because
your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.
4. Share the Word with the people right around us and around the world.
Finally, in Jesus’ parting command after His resurrection, we find Him instructing His followers to go and make disciples, baptizing and teaching them in His name (Matthew 28:19–20). When some lay believers see the word teaching, they think, Since I’m not a preacher or don’t have a gift for teaching God’s Word, this is not for me. And yes, the Bible does talk about gifts and callings related to teaching God’s Word, but that’s not the only way it speaks of passing on His Word to others.
You’re not on this journey of studying God’s Word alone. The same Holy Spirit who inspired God’s Word over the course of centuries is with you when you open God’s Word today. You have the Author of the Book with you, and He promises to help you understand it as you humbly look to Him. What an awesome thought. Bible reading is truly a supernatural activity in which God Himself speaks directly to you through His Holy Spirit. This activity is more important than anything else we could do in our day, so let’s learn to do it well.
Watch the Video
Written for Devotionals Daily by David Platt, author of How to Read the Bible.
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Your Turn
What commitment do you sense God leading you to make right now as part of your regular engagement with His Word in the days ahead? Let’s lean into God and listen to His direction. ~ Devotionals Daily