Wednesday November 8, 2017
Five Principles of Scripture Study
I learned about Scripture Literacy from President Vern D. Sommerfeldt, former LDS Stake President in Orem, UT, and formerly a professor of Religion at BYU. His lifetime of study and commitment to share his knowledge changed my life and if you take these principles to heart, I know it will change yours as well.
Howard W. Hunter said (I added the bolding and underlining):
It’s best to read the whole article for sure, however, this is the part of the article I used in the Fireside. This gave me the guidance I needed:
1. Start with a set time of day when nothing will interrupt your study — not your “left over” time of the day. Do this during your BEST time of the day. My set appointment time with the Lord is between 5:00 and 6:00 AM. You need to decide when your best time is.
All you have to do it have a desire to study the scriptures and the Lord will make it the scriptures grown inside of your heart, mind and soul!
Five Fundamental Principles of
Meaningful Scripture Study
Notice that the arrows go in both directions. Always begin with a formal prayer and always end with a prayer of giving thanks, but move back and forth through all the principals as you feel inspired to do when studying.
Asking
1) Always start with a formal prayer. Thank Heavenly Father for the blessings you have. I like to thank Him for the specific tender mercies I recognize from the day before. Then I ask for the help I need that day or just to be lead to an answer I have needed.
There are times when I just ask Heavenly Father to teach me what He would like me to know.
SEARCHING
2) The Lord will lead you to where He wants you to search. Start with the Topical Guide. Look up a word that maybe you need help with such as: Marriage, children, peace, forgiveness and so on. Then just read down through the scriptures referred to in that section. The Lord will direct your search from there.
Ask the Lord to direct your search. He may direct you to your Patriarchal Blessing or a particular article in the Ensign, the Bible Dictionary or a variety of other places. Follow the promptings of the Spirit.
1 Nephi 10:19 “ For he that diligently seeketh shall find; and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost. . .”
Reading sequentially in the scriptures is great! We should read the Book of Mormon through from time to time. From reading sequentially we learn the stories and the lessons. However, when we read individual scriptures by topic we can put our name right into the scriptures and they speak specifically to us. Then we are no longer reading the promises and promptings the Lord gave to Lehi or Nephi, we are reading the promises and blessing He is giving to us as individuals.
Both kinds of study are important!
PONDERING
Writing
For me the writing is the critical part. I find myself writing and writing, even though I hate to write so much. I find that is where the Lord answers my questions. When I go back and read what I have written I am surprised and I know I was the one using the pen but I was certainly not the creator of what was written.
Every page of my scripture journals contains a part of my testimony so that someday if my children or grandchildren want to know what I believed it will be in writing. I also want them to know that I believe in a loving Father in Heaven, a Savior Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost that brings me messages and comfort.
-The Way I Write in My Scripture Journal-
1) I start with the full date including the year. I have my journal pages numbered and I continue to number in the next journal. I don’t start at number “one” again, I just continue where I left off from the previous journal.
2) I write the tender mercies from the day before.
3) Then I write about something I am worried about, a question I need and answer for, anything that makes me concerned, or anything I need to speak to the Lord about.
4) After I have searched and found the scriptures or quotes I want to write in my scripture journal then I write the journal page number in my scriptures next to the scripture I wrote.
Some scriptures have many journal page numbers written by them because I have pondered that scripture a number of times.
When I am asked to give a talk I simply look up the scripture given to me, look in my scriptures and then refer to the page in my journal I have written by the scripture. There I have a question, my personal experience and the lesson learned already written. Talks become easy.
Thanking
This prayer of “gratitude only” is sometimes the hardest prayer you will offer. We are so accustomed to offering our gratitude and then attaching the “and please bless me . . .” part of our prayer. This prayer should be specific gratitude for the things we have learned in our scripture study that day and the specifics of what we see as great blessings in our life.
The promise in the above scripture is true, I have a firm testimony and my life is living proof of the truthfulness of it.
I testify that these things are true. I have studied the scriptures this way for many years and I know that is why I have been lead to the “fertile parts” of my life. I have wandered in many wildernesses of life and I promise you that if you will follow these simple principles, your life will change as dramatically as mine has. It certainly does not remove trials it simply navigates me through them and helps me recognize the blessings attached to the trial more readily and with more gratitude.
Thank you for sharing your valuable time with me at whatever Fireside you have attended. I know you will have sweet experiences from applying these principles in your life.
I hope to continue to add more as I learn and I hope you will add your testimony to mine so others can learn from you as well.
With so much love,
Sylvia B. Allan
My email address is
Sylvia.allan77@gmail.com