How does it apply?

Written on 2/6/23 

"How can we apply this to our lives?" the leader asks. The Bible study group sits in a circle with their notepads and pens poised. The room is silent. 

Do you ever feel bad that you cannot come up with something? You see it laid out in our well intentioned "methods" . . .


R.E.AP.  = Read. Examine. Apply. Pray.

S.O.A.P = Scripture. Observation. Application. Prayer.

Inductive = Observe. Interpret. Apply


These are wonderful methods for studying the Bible and they help guide followers of Christ into rightly handling the word of God, but I have noticed how sometimes these methods can have their hangups. Currently,  have been going through In The Dust of The Rabbi with a group. It is eye opening to be immersed in first century Galilean culture and imagine what the first disciples of Jesus knew and understood when Jesus said things like "come and follow me" or "my yolk is easy and my burden is light." These Jewish men would have memorized large portions of scripture before they hit puberty and they would have sat under the teaching of local rabbis in synagogue and daily life. Did they follow the SOAP method? 

Another experience that prompted these questions was watching The Chosen, a TV series about Jesus and the people who knew him intimately. You do not hear the disciples of the students of rabbis asking "How does this apply to my life?" every time they read the scriptures. Instead, they filled their mind with the scriptures so that the LORD could bring them to mind at the proper time.  

"Your word I have hidden in my heart that I might not sin against you."

Sometimes, the Lord works on our hearts right away. The words leap right from the page into our hearts before our morning coffee hits the bloodstream. Sometimes, we know we have been walking in sin and the second our eyes hit the pages, we hear the Spirit convicting, restoring and encouraging us. But sometimes, we brew a fresh pot of coffee, pull out our special bible highlighters, and SOAP through the Word only to get to the application section and feel a little stumped. We might write something down, but we aren't sure if we really mean it or if we are missing something. "How does this scripture apply to my life?" 

Maybe a better question is "Which truths need to sink deep into my heart today?" 

The Bible says to meditate on scripture throughout the day and even the night "meditate on your bed and be silent." 

It's like packing your bag for a camping expedition. You pick up the water filter: "What should I do with this right now? Is there any water that needs purifying right now? Maybe this is irrelevant. I'm not sure what to do with it." 

NO! You should read the instructions, familiarize yourself with the parts, and PACK THAT THING IN YOUR BAG! You should inspect your equipment. You should be prepared. YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THE WILDERNESS MAY HOLD. 

We must not skip the essential task of knowing and BELIEVING God's truth before we apply it to our lives. It is more important for you to believe the Shepherd is trustworthy than it is to know why He is leading you down a particular path. 

Are we too impatient or set in our own timeline that we discard truth if it does not fit our current day like a glove? Are we willing to faithfully dig deep daily for the treasure of God's word? Do we believe that all scripture is God breathed and profitable to teaching, reproof, correction and training in righteousness? If so, then hiding the word in my heart is an act of faith. PACK THAT IN YOUR BAG! You have no idea what lies ahead. 

I'm not saying we should live in disconnect where the truth of God never reaches our heart. Quite the opposite. I am saying we should not be discouraged, confused or bored when the scripture doesn't seem to "click." For me, the problem is not "did I figure out how to apply this to my life" but "did I even believe that truth in the first place?" 

For example, if I did nothing but meditate on and truly believe that God is Holy . . .or God loves me . . . or God is faithful . . .how much would that change my life? THAT is true application. If interpretation is done rightly and the truth is believed, then application is the natural result, not a step in a method. 

If I'm honest, I often use the "application" step to think about how I can make my life better. How can I be a better parent? How can I be a better "steward of my time?" However, the Christian life is not about making your life better/improved (though God's ways often lead to earthly blessing), it is about knowing and loving Jesus. 

Hide the Word in your heart. It's a jungle out there. 

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