Good morning! It’s a rainy and dreary day here which means it’s the perfect day for blogging! I am going to start doing a mini bible study every week for the blog. I’ll post pictures and tie back to other scriptures and write some of my own thoughts too. Studying the bible used to be kind of scary to me because I had no idea where to start. After using SoulScripts to help me study, I’ve started studying scripture in a whole new way. I love bright colored highlighters and study materials so this way of organizing scripture really speaks to me. It helps me really soak the words in and make connections I would not have made otherwise.

It’ll make more sense with the pictures, but let me explain briefly how I study. I draw boxes around key words and phrases that really speak to me. I then write notes and draw connections to other scriptures and draw boxes around those. Now to highlight! I choose one color to highlight the words and then my thoughts and other scriptures that I wrote in the margin. That way it kind of splits up the verses and organizes my thoughts by color. I also draw arrows from the words in the verse to my thought in the margins and highlight that the same color.

I chose Jeremiah 29:11-14 for the first week because it is a famous verse that has SO MUCH hope and promise in it. I think we all need this reminder sometimes.

Jeremiah 29:11-14: “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, Plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.”

Here is what my whole page looks like

Now I’ll break it up into parts

I highlighted where it says plans in verse 11. I then drew an arrow to my thoughts and three verses that go on to explain these plans in more detail and put boxes around it all. I truly believe that God always has a plan and it will always prevail! Romans 8:28, Jeremiah 1:5, and Proverbs 19:21 are only three of the many verses that connect to this passage!

I then highlighted all of the words that have to do with prayer and crying out to God in verse 12 (“call to me“, “pray“, and “listen“). I love the fact that God is ALWAYS listening and working. It’s like a 24/7 therapist who never judges and never puts us on mute. He is always caring and acting in our best interests. Note, just because God doesn’t always do what we want Him to do doesn’t mean He isn’t doing anything. Our plans are not always God’s plans. Psalms 145: 18-20 and Psalms 120:1 are other key verses.

This part might be my favorite part of the whole passage. Throughout this whole passage, God uses the words “I will” over and over. Not “I might” or “I could”. I will. This is a PROMISE. Even better, this is a promise from God. A promise that can never be broken. God is saying that He will always listen to us, He will always be able to be found by us, and He will always restore us to our best selves through Him. How cool is that!? I highlighted all of the times God says “I will” or “You will” in yellow and connected them to my thoughts in the margin.

I then highlighted the words “heart“, “found by you“, “restore your fortune“, and “restore you” in green. God tells us that if we search for Him with out whole heart, we will be able to find him ALWAYS. No matter where we are or what we’ve done. Deuteronomy 4:27-31 is an awesome passage that connects to this topic really well.

The last thing I pulled from this verse is the use of the word “declaration“. I LOVE that this is the word that God chose. The definition of the word is a public statement. This means that is is for everyone and anyone. Not just the people who have it all together, not just the “perfect” people (who don’t really exist), not just the people we compare ourselves to. It is for everyone. No one is excluded. We all have the ability to find God and follow Him with our whole heart.

I really hope this helped you dive deeper into the word and realize it can be super fun to read it for all it’s worth, It can completely change your day and how you’re feeling.

I hope you guys have a wonderful weekend!

Questions for you:

1. Did this help? Is there something I can add to help more?
2. What verse or passage would you like me to use next?