Making Study Time More Enjoyable and Productive

How can we find more enjoyment in studying the Bible? How can we make our study periods more productive? Let us briefly consider three important steps that will help us to get the most out of our personal study of the Bible.

1 PRAY: The first step to take is to pray. (Ps. 42:8) Why? We should consider the study of God’s Word to be part of our worship. Therefore, we need to ask Jehovah to put us in the proper frame of mind and to give us his holy spirit. (Luke 11:13) Says Barbara, a longtime missionary: “I always pray before I read or study the Bible. After that, I feel that Jehovah is with me and that he approves of what I am doing.” Prayer before study opens our mind and heart to accept fully the abundant spiritual food that is before us.

2 MEDITATE: Because of lack of time, some limit themselves to a superficial reading of God’s Word. However, they miss out on the benefits they could derive from studying the Bible. Carlos, who has been serving Jehovah for more than 50 years, has come to realize the importance of setting aside time for meditation to make his study more productive. He says: “I now read fewer pages of the Bible at a time​—about two pages each day. Then I can devote more time to meditating on what I read so as to learn important lessons.” (Ps. 77:12) When we take time to meditate, we enhance our knowledge and comprehension of God’s will.​—Col. 1:9-11.

3 APPLY: If we see the practical value of an activity, we benefit more from it. That certainly is true of Bible study. “Study helps me to overcome problems in daily life, and it prepares me to help others,” says Gabriel, a young brother who has a regular Bible-study routine. He adds: “I try to apply in my personal life everything I learn.” (Deut. 11:18; Josh. 1:8) Yes, there is a wealth of godly knowledge that we can absorb and apply.​—Prov. 2:1-5.

REVIEW: What a privilege we have to delve into the knowledge provided by Jehovah, the Source of all wisdom! (Rom. 11:33) Therefore, the next time you study, make sure you first pray to Jehovah and ask him to give you the proper frame of mind and his holy spirit. Then pause at times to meditate on what you read. Also, follow through and apply in your daily life the things you learn. When you take these important steps, you will find that your study of the Bible becomes most enjoyable and productive.