Any Place. Any Time. Everyday.

“…men and women don’t live by bread only; we live by every word that comes from God’s mouth.”

Deuteronomy 8:3 MSG

S.O.A.P. is an acronym to describe four different phases of interaction with God and his Word. The strength of these combined phases is two-fold. They 1) provide a helpful framework for starting to spend regular time with Jesus, while 2) remaining versatile to any timeframe or availability.

For many, just starting to spend time reading the Bible, praying, practicing silence, meditation, or any number of the spiritual disciplines can feel quite overwhelming, even to the point of despair “paralysis.” SOAP provides a great framework for avoiding “the pit of despair” and just getting started. Once you take the first step, a whole new world opens up, and the framework grows as you do.

Each letter in the acronym, SOAP, stands for an activity of drawing close to Jesus and we will be using the following words for each letter:

Scripture

Start by identifying a key passage from your daily reading (find a good plan or join us in one that we are following as a church!) that strikes you as important. It does not have to be long—keeping it to a singular, complete thought can be helpful. Write it down in your journal. One helpful way of choosing this would be to ask yourself the question: Which verse(s) of this reading section would be helpful to memorize?

Observation

Explore and reflect on the passage. Look beyond the passage that you wrote down, and read around it—what can you find out about the context? Write down any observations that you make from the above passage.  Does anything surprise you or seem significant? Is there any interesting or repetitive language being used? Are there any confusing parts? Do you have any questions about what you’ve read? Write it all down here.

Ask

Speak directly with God’s Spirit, and ask questions like:

• What are you saying to me?
• What are you doing in my life and surroundings?
• How can I cooperate with you?
• What do you want to teach me about what I’ve read?

Take some time for silence and write down what comes to mind. This is also an excellent place to ask questions that came up in the previous phase as well!

Praise

Take time to write down at least one or two specific things you are grateful for that day. Take a moment to thank God in your own words and to worship him.  If you want to use music, you can find worship music on Spotify, and/or sing, or play an instrument if you are able! Feel free to get creative. The use of visual art, movement, poetry, etc. are all great ways to engage in praise! Also, remember that praise doesn’t always mean you have to be happy—some of the most meaningful praise comes from suffering lips. The Scriptures are full of praise that is lament—expressing our sadness and confusion to God, instead of running from him because of them. Be honest with him—even your articulation of your problems, fears, or grief counts as praise (and sometimes is the very moment he gives you peace from his presence).