Have you ever spent time in the word, or read a scripture over and over again only to feel you understood absolutely nothing? While we know that the word of God is imperative for our spiritual growth as believers, sometimes, reading and trying to understand it can feel so hard and overwhelming! And that’s where S.O.A.P comes into the equation. Now before you begin thinking soap is what you need to wash yourself in the word, it isn’t. Instead, S.O.A.P. is an acronym which stands for scripture, observation, application and prayer, and is a useful tool to study the word of God.
Read on to learn how to successfully utilise the S.O.A.P strategy and get yourself cleaned up in the word.
Studying and Reading
Where do I start? How do I apply this to my life? How do I pray this? This makes no sense to me! I’ve read two chapters of Hebrews, am I a lot more mature now?
Firstly, I want to clarify, there is a difference between studying the word and reading the word. Studying requires intentionality and is more in depth. You focus on what you’re reading, breakdown words that you know and you don’t know. Maybe look at their etymology. Who wrote the book, what context frames what you’re reading?
S.O.A.P is helpful with studying.
Whereas reading requires less detail. However, both can lead to meditation where you ruminate over what you have ingested. You think over the words and lessons in the scripture or chapter/book.
There is no particular way to study and we are not here to constrain you. Studying looks different for everyone. Maybe you have heaps of highlighters. Maybe you prefer a pencil and concordance. Whatever your preferred style, the S.O.A.P method provides helpful tips to walk you through the process.
Scripture
What are you reading? Where are you starting? Maybe you want to focus on a topic/theme. Or a particular book in the bible. Or even the life of someone.
As you read, pay attention to any scriptures that stand out to you. Even if they seem irrelevant or like they don’t matter. Nothing is pointless in the study of the word. Allow the Holy Spirit to lead you and highlight what He wants you to know.
Observation
Now you have your scripture, what do you observe about the verse? This step encourages you to respond to the verses that have stood out to you. What do you learn? You can look at the vocabulary used, the literal and/or metaphorical meaning. Make note of all that comes to mind. Don’t ignore anything.
Having a pen and paper to make notes on is extremely helpful. As you write, it gives you clarity, and you can go back to your notes at any time.
Application
The Word of God is for living. After studying, we don’t want to be like the foolish man who looks in his mirror and forgets what he looks like (James 1:23-24). As you read the scriptures, you may feel convicted or encouraged, maybe something in your life may relate to the word you’ve read. This step gives the opportunity to apply what you’ve observed to your real life. When we study the word, we always learn something new. We don’t leave it in the word but we implement what we learn into our daily lives. The bible has all we need for living.
Prayer
Lastly, we pray scripture. We can literally take the scriptures we’ve read and pray them. Or, if there is something we’ve learnt, we can make them into prayer points.
Now you have the S.O.A.P details. Here are some tips to help you get the most of out using the steps for your study:
1. Follow the steps in a way that works for you. We are all different and everyone has different learning styles, even if they’re the same, they are still unique to us individually. Don’t seek to emulate someone else, do it your way. Don’t compare your study and what you understand to others. You can receive from others and glean from them, but do not negate what you have and what you observe.
2. Listen to the Holy Spirit. Don’t try to do it alone. Listen to the gentle prompting of the Holy Spirit and put in effort.
3. Be consistent. You don’t have to use the S.O.A.P method every time you read the word, you can make a timetable of when you study and when you read if this works for you. Having a plan, even a rough plan is better than free falling. If you miss a day or days, don’t give up. Pick up your pen and paper and go again.
4. Have fun! The bible is fun! Honestly, it really is. If you enter with such a mind and positive mentality, what you will get out of the word will be different.
5. Pray. It might sound weird to say pray to study the Word, but it’s not. The Holy Spirit is the One who causes us to will and do of His good pleasure. Pray before you study, pray while you study and pray after you study. Prayer is a form of communication with God. And the Holy Spirit is our helper, available to always help and teach us.
