How do I Improve my Scripture Study? Suggestions to Make it More Meaningful

President Spencer W. Kimball said:

“I find that when I get casual in my relationships with divinity and when it seems that no divine ear is listening and no divine voice is speaking, that I am far, far away. If I immerse myself in the scriptures the distance narrows and the spirituality returns.”

Elder M. Russell Ballard, "Be Strong inthe Lord, and in the Power of His Might,"  CES Fireside 3 March 2002

Here are some practical suggestions that I hope will help you derive greater power from your study of the scriptures:

• If possible, set a consistent time and place to study when you can be alone and undisturbed. Knowing the lifestyle of many young adults, I think it is safe to say that early morning in your apartments is one time you can be both alone and have it quiet.
• Always have a marking pencil ready as you study. Make notations in the margins. Write cross-references. Make the scriptures yours by marking them.
• Commit yourself to study for a set amount of time, rather than to just read a chapter or a certain number of pages. Sometimes a single verse or short passage will take the entire time as you think about it and consider what it means for you.
• Study topically as well as chronologically. Both approaches have merit, but we need to go to the Topical Guide or the index from time to time and read all that the Lord has said on repentance, or faith, or some other principle.
• Take time to ponder, reflect, meditate, and pray about what you read. Ask yourselves questions such as "What can I learn from this passage that will help me come unto Christ and be more like Him?"

One thing I have learned in life is how frequently the Lord answers our questions and gives us counsel through the scriptures. It is not unusual for one of us in the Quorum of the Twelve to say, "I saw this teaching more clearly than ever before in this verse of scripture." Let us, then, go to the Lord in prayer, pleading for help or answers; and those answers will come as we open the scriptures and begin to study them. Sometimes it is as though a passage hundreds or thousands of years old was dictated specifically to answer our question.

Remember the promise of the Lord. If you "hold fast" to the word of God, the fiery darts of the adversary will not penetrate your chain mail. Your spiritual armor will be strong.

Gordon B. Hinckley, “Feasting upon the Scriptures,” Ensign, Dec. 1985, 42
I love our scriptures. I love these wonderful volumes, which set forth the word of the Lord—given personally or through prophets—for the guidance of our Father’s sons and daughters. I love to read the scriptures, and I try to do so consistently and repeatedly. They contain so much for each of us.  I urge our people everywhere to read the scriptures more, that peace, that knowledge “which passeth all understanding” (Philip. 4:7), as he has promised. 

Suggestions: 

•     Pray before you read.   There is nothing more helpful than prayer to open our understanding of the scriptures. Through prayer we can attune our minds to seek the answers to our searchings. The Lord said: “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (Luke 11:9). Howard W. Hunter, “Reading the Scriptures,” Ensign, Nov. 1979, 64

•     Daily scripture study brings the peaceful influence of the Spirit into your life.   The only way you can be sure that a busy schedule doesn’t crowd out scripture study is to establish a regular time to study the scriptures. So my pattern since I was a boy has been to read my scriptures at the beginning and end of the day. I read the Book of Mormon many times before I was 18 because of that pattern.  Elder Henry B. Eyring, Ensign, July 2005, 22.

•     Feast on the Lord’s word for a set amount of time each day.  

Not only should we study each day, but there should be a regular time set aside when we can concentrate without interference.  We should not be haphazard in our reading but rather develop a systematic plan for study. There are some who read to a schedule of a number of pages or a set number of chapters each day or week. This may be perfectly justifiable and may be enjoyable if one is reading for pleasure, but it does not constitute meaningful study.

Perhaps what is more important than the hour of the day is that a regular time be set aside for study. It would be ideal if an hour could be spent each day; but if that much cannot be had, a half hour on a regular basis would result in substantial accomplishment. A quarter of an hour is little time, but it is surprising how much enlightenment and knowledge can be acquired in a subject so meaningful. The important thing is to allow nothing else to ever interfere with our study.   Howard W. Hunter, “Reading the Scriptures,” Ensign, Nov. 1979, 64

•     Try studying one topic of interest, asking questions, pondering insights, and checking the footnotes. When I came into the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Elder Richard G. Scott suggested I buy an inexpensive set of scriptures and mark the insights and revelations I would gain in my new calling.  I asked Heavenly Father what He would have me do as an Apostle. I wrote down what I felt His answers were. I typed, color coded, and pasted those answers in the front of my scriptures. Then I read my scriptures looking for ideas that taught me how to witness that Christ is the Son of God. Every time I came to something, I marked it in blue. Soon I developed my own topical guide around what I thought the Lord wanted me to do.  Elder Henry B. Eyring, Ensign, July 2005, 22.

•     Apply the teachings to your life, and practice what you learn. Keep a paper and pencil handy while you read. This is a stimulating activity, and often goals, exciting ideas, or original thoughts will creep into your mind. Ask questions as you read the scriptures. … Question and then call upon the Lord.

•     Read the Book of Mormon. •     There is a power in the book which will begin to flow into your lives the moment you begin a serious study of the book. You will find greater power to resist temptation. You will find the power to avoid deception. You will find the power to stay on the strait and narrow path. Ezra Taft Benson, “The Book of Mormon—Keystone of Our Religion,” Ensign, Nov. 1986, 4

Through the Book of Mormon the Lord can also teach us about being with and serving people. This book reveals the will of the Lord for family life in a way that the other scriptures don’t even approach. I believe that is largely because of its interesting structure. It’s about families; it’s about people’s relationships. It starts with families, it ends with families, and we come to love these families. Elder Henry B. Eyring, Ensign, July 2005, 22.

Elder D. Todd Christofferson, Apr 2004

I see you sometimes reading a few verses, stopping to ponder them, carefully reading the verses again, and as you think about what they mean, praying for understanding, asking questions in your mind, waiting for spiritual impressions, and writing down the impressions and insights that come so you can remember and learn more. Studying in this way, you may not read a lot of chapters or verses in a half hour, but you will be giving place in your heart for the word of God, and He will be speaking to you. You will know that the gospel is being written in your heart, that your conversion is happening, as the word of the Lord from His prophets, past and present, feels more and more delicious to your soul.

     “But for most of us, who readily acknowledge the truthfulness of the standard works, if we are ever guilty of disrespecting the sacred nature of scriptures, it is by neglect. The risk we must guard against day to day is the tendency to treat lightly, or even ignore, the sacred word.”  -- Elder D. Todd Christofferson  CES Fireside, November 7, 2004, B.Y.U.

“Understanding the Importance of Scripture Study,” Elder David A. Bednar, 1998

Let me summarize the three reasons why scripture study is so important: (1) It is one of the major ways whereby we keep our covenant to always remember him. (2) It helps us become familiar with the voice of the Lord and thus better prepared to receive his direction in our lives. (3) It is a necessary preparation for and prerequisite to receiving personal revelation. 

Now I would like to suggest just a few principles that can help each of us become more effective in our personal study of the scriptures. Let me summarize the six principles: 

   • Pray for understanding and invite the help of the Holy Ghost. 

   • Work. 

   • Be consistent in terms of time and place. 

   • Ponder. 

   • Look for connections and patterns and parallels in the scriptures. 

   • Record your thoughts and feelings. 

The sixth principle is to write your thoughts and feelings. Recording what we learn and writing about what we think and feel as we study the scriptures helps us to revisit the same spirit that brought the initial insight or revelation and invites even greater understanding than was originally received. Recording our learnings and writing about our thoughts and feelings is another form of pondering and of always remembering him and is an invitation to the Holy Ghost for continued instruction. 

I personally bear testimony of the power of this principle. As we take the time to write what we think and feel in relation to studying the scriptures, an additional and increased outpouring of insight will come.