Bible reading and Scripture meditation are different, but you can make both part of your time with God.
Bible reading helps you understand a passage in its larger context. Scripture meditation gives you time to stay with a smaller part of that passage and think more deeply about what it means.
What’s the difference?
When you read the Bible, you might read a chapter, several paragraphs, or an entire book over time.
You may read through Acts to follow what happened in the early church. You might read one of the Gospels to learn more about Jesus.
Reading a larger section helps you understand what happened, who was speaking, and what was happening around a particular verse.
Scripture meditation usually means spending more time with a smaller passage.
You might read a verse several times, think about what it means, and bring it back to mind later in the day.
You are thinking about what it means for your life.
Bible reading gives you context
Reading larger portions of Scripture can keep you from taking one verse and applying it without understanding what it actually means.
Read what comes before and after the verse.
Who is speaking?
Who are they speaking to?
What is happening?
Why was this written?
Those questions can help you understand a passage more accurately.
You do not need to read several chapters every day. Instead, you can choose an amount you can realistically read and understand.
Meditation gives you more time with one idea
Sometimes one sentence stands out while you are reading.
Stay with it for a while. Read it again.
Think about why it caught your attention and whether there is something you need to learn, change, remember, or pray about.
Maybe you read about Jesus showing compassion to someone. Think about the people you will see that day. Is there someone you have been overlooking?
Maybe you read about trusting God when you are afraid. Bring the verse back to mind when something makes you anxious later.
This is one way Scripture can move from something you read in the morning into the rest of your day.
Use Scripture in your prayers
A passage can also give you something specific to pray about.
If you read about forgiveness, ask God to help you forgive.
If you read about generosity, ask whether there is someone you should help.
If you read about patience, think about where you are having trouble being patient.
You can turn what you are reading into a simple prayer.
You do not have to come up with something profound. Talk with God about what you just read.
How to practice reading and meditation together
Start by reading a passage.
Then choose one verse or phrase from it that you want to think about more.
Make sure you understand what it means in the passage before applying it to yourself.
Then read it again slowly.
You might write the verse down or save it on your phone. Think about it again later in the day.
Ask yourself how it applies to something you are actually dealing with.
For example, if you read about compassion, think about someone who may need your attention. If you read about prayer, think about someone you should pray for.
Then pray about it.
You may need more of one at different times
If you are beginning a new book of the Bible or trying to understand a difficult passage, read the larger section and learn the context.
Then you may want to spend longer with one verse.
Perhaps you are grieving, making a decision, or dealing with something you keep worrying about. A short passage may give you something helpful to return to throughout the day.
Read enough to understand what the Bible is saying. Then sometimes stay with part of what you read a little longer.
Importantly, consider how God’s Spirit is speaking to you through what you read.