Unlocking Your Bible with Verse Mapping

Today I’d like to share what I learned about verse mapping and how to include it in your time with Jesus as we creatively study a short passage in God’s word.

We have been journaling through Philippians by slowing down to examine between two and four verses each day. In comparison to reading through the Bible in one year verse mapping allows you to absorb a smaller portion of God’s word.

I never really felt like I knew how to study the Bible but lately, I have been learning how to really go deeper into God’s word.

Have you heard about verse mapping?

I don’t know about you, but I have been hearing about verse mapping more and more. I just HAD to find out more about it!

It is a wonderful method of Bible study that builds on some of the strategies I have already been using. I am really excited about what I have found.

I am anxious to share it with you!

BUT . . . BEFORE we dig deeper into God’s word, don’t forget to DOWNLOAD our FREE Bible Reading Plan!

Why You Should Consider Verse Mapping

I love the S.O.A.P. method of Bible study and I have shared about it before.

I also love Bible journaling as a way of meditating on God’s word as I draw and color.

It is important to go deeper into God’s word through Bible study and when verse mapping kept popping up on my Pinterest feed, I finally bit the bullet and looked at what people shared about it.

Can I tell you that I am excited about verse mapping?!

Verse mapping is a system of Bible study that maps out a verse with a way to highlight what stands out to you in the verse.

BUT . . . Why should YOU consider verse mapping?

• To keep you consistent in marking your Bible!
• It’s a simple way of making notations while reading your Bible!
• It’s a superb way of studying your Bible!
• You can look back and see what you studied in your Bible!
• You can discuss what you read with others!
• It easily gives you a summary of what you read!

If this still grabs you as it does me, let’s get to it!

Beginner’s Guide to Unlocking Your Bible

I am a newbie in verse mapping and totally inexperienced beginner! I so desperately want to learn how to unlock my Bible in a way that works for me.

They say that when you learn something you will internalize it when you share it with others. That is what I am doing as I begin my verse-mapping journey.

I hope you will be loving it as much as I am!

You can go on Pinterest and find all sorts of  Bible Reading Plans to suit the topic that you want to study in a month. I have them available through my blog too!

Although you can do that, I am going to suggest that you do ONE THING FIRST!

BEFORE choosing your verse or short passage of verses, what I want you to be sure to do is PRAY!

“Lord, teach me to get beyond prayerlessness!”

I want you to pray that the Lord would direct you to the verse He wants you to study.

. . . A verse that will stretch and grow you right out of your comfort zone as you draw closer to Jesus!

AFTER you have prayed, you may do the following process:

• Select the verse(s) you will read and study!
• Read it aloud or use an audible Bible app!
• Circle words you want to define!
• Wavy Line any phrase that you want to understand better!
• Research-related verses using BibleHub.com
• Copy the related verses or references into your notebook!
• Circle people and places!
• Read the passage surrounding your verse(s)!
• Use a study Bible, commentary, dictionary, or thesaurus!
• Highlight what stands out to you!
• Box verses that you want to memorize!
• Summarize what you learned and write about how it applies to your own life!

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Philippians 2:3-4

You don’t have to do all of the suggestions but choose the ones that work best for the passage you chose.

Remember, like me, you are a beginner and you don’t have to be a perfectionist and do it ALL. Give yourself permission to do it imperfectly with a truckload of grace!

Supplies to Make Verse Mapping POP!

I am an avid creative Bible journaler so it shouldn’t surprise you that when I start verse mapping, I’m going to make it POP with color!

I loved the way my blogging-friend Arabah Joy described verse mapping as a way to marinate in Scripture! That is exactly what I want to do as I go deeper into my chosen verse.

That is what color will do when you map out your verse.

When you circle, underline and box out your verse, try using some of these awesome supplies to brighten things up. It will also cause words and phrases to pop when you come back to your verse again.

• Journaling Bible – You can verse map in the margins!
• Journaling Notebook – That way you won’t lose the paper!
• Colored Pencils!
• Micron Pens!
• Gel Pens!
• Highlighters!
• Computer, tablet or your phone – get distracted with God’s word, not social media!
• Dictionary or Thesaurus – dictionary.com or thesaurus.com
• BibleHub.com can bring up different versions and cross-references!

Unlocking your verse is best when you make it POP on the page of your notebook!

Verse Mapping Compared to Other Methods

There are all different methods for Bible study and it’s not that one is better than another. If you only used verse mapping you’d never have the time to study longer passages of the Bible.

You might be in a season of reading through the Bible in one year as I did for more than ten years.

You might be in a season where using a simple version of the S.O.A.P. method is all you can do for now.

Maybe you love Bible journaling after reading a chapter or book of the Bible.

The most important thing I could ever encourage you to do is go deeper into God’s word as you spend personal time with your Savior.

Verse mapping is only a tool to use when you gain a deeper sense of what a verse or passage is saying to you.

If studying the Bible is NOT transformational for your soul, what is the point?

Have you ever used verse mapping to study your Bible? Is there another Bible study method you’d like me to research and write about?