I am very excited to start something new on Wednesdays called Digging Deeper. I would love for you to join me each Wednesday as I take a verse or passage and dig a bit deeper into what God is saying through His Word.
Last year as I began working through my focus verse for 2013 I broke down Psalm 19:14 through verse mapping. I first heard about verse mapping from P31 Online Bible Study with Melissa Taylor. On any given day during my quiet time I may use verse mapping, SOAP method (used by Good Morning Girls) or a method I learned from Anne Graham Lotz which is also done by Kendra Graham on The Cove’s blog Notes from the Cove. I love them all and really find it difficult to find a favorite so just as I may switch around in my quiet time you may find me using a different method each Wednesday. Regardless of the method I use you may use whatever works best for you. The point is getting into God’s Word and listening to what He is saying to you.
This week we will start with verse mapping. Before you start make sure you have plenty of room in you journal or note card because it can get a bit messy as you write down the different notes you want to make. Also, you will want to make sure you have a pen, pencil, different colored highlighters or whatever you may want to use to make notes. You will also want to have access to different versions of the Bible either through ones you have at home or an app such as Youversion.
Now, let’s get started…
· The first thing I do is write the verse out I’m studying. I have learned the best way to do this is to skip lines so I will have plenty of room to make notes (unfortunately I didn’t do that here).
See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up;
Do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the desert
And streams in the wasteland.
- I then take time to go through the different translations and see how the verse is worded. If it is different I take the time to write it down.
See, I am doing (will do – KJV) a new thing! (about to do something new –NLT,) (I have already begun – NLT,)
Now it springs up (forth – ESV,KJV);
Do you not perceive (aware – NLT, know – ASV,KJV) it? (and know it and will you not heed it? – AMP)
I am making a way (roadway – NASB, pathway – NLT) in the desert (wilderness – ASV,ESV,KJV,AMP,NASB,NLT)
And streams (rivers – ESV,ASV,KJV,AMP,NASB) in the wasteland (desert – ESV,ASV,KJV,AMP,NASB). (I will create rivers in the dry wasteland – NLT)
- At this point if I have time I will do some cross-referencing in my bible for specific words. I will take a word and look it up in my concordance and see what else God has to say about that subject or if there is a verse listed to the side of my verse of study I will look up that verse.
For example 2 Corinthians 5:17 was listed to the right of Isaiah 43:19 in my bible. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”
- Once I have gone through the different translations I then take key words and look them up in the dictionary or concordance to gain a better understanding of the word.
Springs up – to rise up, to issue forth suddenly, come into being within a short time
Perceive – become aware of, know, or identify by means of the senses; to recognize, discern, envision or understand
Heed – to give attention, have regard
Desert – desolate, barren, infertile, lack of water, dry, usually sandy
Wilderness – emphasizes the difficulty of finding one’s way, whether b/c of barrenness or of dense vegetation
Streams – a steady current in water
Wasteland – uncultivated or barren land, something as a period of history, phase of existence or locality that is spiritually or intellectually barren
- After I have gone through these steps I take time to rewrite the verse in my own words and ask myself the questions God is bringing to my mind or write notes on what He has revealed to me through this process. Through rewriting the verse I now have a focus on what to pray.
God is doing or about to do something new! Do I see it happening? Am I looking for it? Am I paying attention to what God is doing? If I don’t understand it am I seeking His direction and looking for Him to make it clear?
God will make a way or path in the desert or wilderness. Am I looking for His path in the unsteady sand or dense vegetation? Do I believe he will give me a firm foundation to follow Him? Do I believe He will protect me from the “bumps, cuts & bruises” that I will receive going through the wilderness?
God gives us a steady stream of water (His Living Water) to carry us through the dry barren spiritually dry times.
Once I have done all of this I take time to pray and ask God to help me live out His Word and make the changes He needs me to make.
I hope the method of verse mapping has helped you dig a little bit deeper into God’s Word. I’m excited about what God will do through these Wednesdays together. See you next Wednesday for Digging Deeper.
In His Calm,
