A WAY TO STUDY AND PRAY SCRIPTURE
1. Read through your passage once slowly.
2. On a second reading, use a pencil to mark any word that you associate with these
concepts as follows:
3. Copy the words you have marked into the grid below:
1. Read through your passage once slowly.
2. On a second reading, use a pencil to mark any word that you associate with these
concepts as follows:
- God—mark with a Circle: O
- The World—mark with a straight underline
- Sin—mark with a wavy underline ~~~~~~~~
- Grace—mark with a square □
3. Copy the words you have marked into the grid below:
7. Read your passage one more time, slowly.
8. Using the words you have inscribed in the graph above, offer your own prayer keeping
your scripture passage in your mind. Offer the prayers in the simplest form you can—
nothing fancy. You might begin simply with working your way around the graph like this:
9. Conclude with a prayer of self-offering to God, and the Lord’s Prayer.
8. Using the words you have inscribed in the graph above, offer your own prayer keeping
your scripture passage in your mind. Offer the prayers in the simplest form you can—
nothing fancy. You might begin simply with working your way around the graph like this:
- Adoration: “Heavenly Father, you are ….”
- Confession: “Merciful Father, I am far from you because….”
- Thanksgiving: “Gracious Father, I thank you for….”
- Supplication: “Compassionate Father, I ask you….”
9. Conclude with a prayer of self-offering to God, and the Lord’s Prayer.
4. Ask yourself questions like these about the sections of the grid:
- Which section has the most words? the least?
- Which section has the “strongest” words? the “weakest” words?
- Does the flow of words in the passage move from an emphasis on one section
- towards another section?
- Is there a “problem” this passage describes? What is it?
- Is there a “solution” the passage offers for the problem? What is it?
- Is there an overall “harmony” this passage describes?
- Is there a demand for change in this passage?
5. What is the most important image, picture or word for you in the passage you have just
read?
read?
6. Identify your own thoughts, feelings and experiences as you have reflected on the words
of this passage of the Holy Scriptures. Place your own words for these on the following
graph.
of this passage of the Holy Scriptures. Place your own words for these on the following
graph.
A NOTE to consider: “In general,” passages of the Gospels and most of the
Psalms will move through a four-fold process describable as
Psalms will move through a four-fold process describable as
These correspond roughly with the quadrants of our graph, beginning from “The
World” and moving clockwise. There is no prescribed or “right” way to approach
these forms of meditation and prayer. You may find one much more
emphatically clear and useful to you than another at any given time.
The one thing necessary is to keep trying, to “persevere in resisting evil, and,
whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord.” (BCP, 304) Abide in
that, and you cannot go wrong.
World” and moving clockwise. There is no prescribed or “right” way to approach
these forms of meditation and prayer. You may find one much more
emphatically clear and useful to you than another at any given time.
The one thing necessary is to keep trying, to “persevere in resisting evil, and,
whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord.” (BCP, 304) Abide in
that, and you cannot go wrong.
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