Holy Habits / Study

The Steps of Studying

Have you ever been taught how to study?

Verse of the Day

‘Instruct the wise, and they will be even wiser. Teach the righteous, and they will learn even more.’

Proverbs 9:9

Today’s Devotional

Do you long to be counted among the wise? In our search for insight and understanding, we are told to “Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasures.” (Proverbs 2:4)  In today’s verse, we see that the wise still need instruction, that those who are righteous are willing to learn.  So today we endeavor to learn how we can better study God’s Word.

According to Richard Foster, there are four steps involved in studying: repetition, concentration, comprehension, and reflection. Let’s look at what he says about each step.

Repetition:

• “Repetition regularly channels the mind in a specific direction, thus ingraining habits of thought.”
• “Sheer repetition without even understanding what is being repeated does affect the inner mind.”
• “Ingrained habits of thought can be formed by repetition alone, thus changing behavior.”
• “It is not even important that the person believe what he or she is repeating, only that it is repeated.”

Concentration:

• “Concentration centers the mind. It focuses the attention on what is being studied.”
• “The human mind has an incredible ability to concentrate. It constantly receives thousands of stimuli, each one of which is stored in its memory banks, while it focuses on only a few.”
• “This natural ability of the brain is enhanced when, with singleness of purpose, we center our attention upon a desired object of study.”
• [He says some nonsense wisdom about removing distractions, like listening to music while working.  It feels like a personal attack.] “Most people find it virtually impossible to go through an entire day focusing on a single thing. We are the lesser for the dissipation of our energies.”

Comprehension:

• “Comprehension focuses on the knowledge of the truth.”
• “When we not only repeatedly focus the mind in a particular direction, centering our attention on the subject, but understand what we are studying, we reach a new level.”
• “Jesus reminds us that it is not just the truth but the knowledge of the truth that sets us free. (John 8:32)”
• “All of us have had the experience of reading something over and over and then, all of a sudden, we understand what it means. This “eureka” experience of understanding catapults us onto a new level of growth and freedom. It leads us to insight and discernment. It provides a basis for true perception of reality.”

Reflection:

• “One further step is needed: reflection. Although comprehension defines what we are studying, reflection defines the significance of what we are studying.”
• “Reflection brings us to see things from God’s perspective.”
• “In reflection we come to understand not only our subject matter, but ourselves.”
• “When we ponder the meaning of what we study, we come to see and hear in a new way.”

As I look back over how I engage the Bible, I must be willing to remove distractions and be intentional about my concentration.  Then I have the ability to engage in repetition, either reading the same section of verses several times in one sitting, or reading the same section each day for several days.  As I do this regularly, I began to comprehend what I am reading in a new way.  Once I have this understanding, I can then reflect on what God is teaching me through this new understanding.

While this is valuable information on the discipline of study, its true value comes from actually doing it. Proverbs 29:19 says, “Words alone will not discipline a servant; the words may be understood, but they are not heeded.” Are we willing to heed this instruction?

Journal Prompts

Answer only the questions that seem relevant to you today.

How can you try Foster’s instruction on how to study the Bible?

Of the four steps, which one is the hardest for you?

Pick a passage of Scripture and study it today.