Hi, friends! 

If you’ve been around here for any length of time, you know how much I love studying the Bible and talking about what God is teaching me through His word. There are a few tools I use almost daily in my quiet time that I wanted to share with you. 

1. Journaling Bible

I got my journaling Bible almost three years ago and I love it. As a writer, I process things by writing, so being able to make notes in the margins means everything to me. 

In law school, we also learned how to take apart case opinions - word by word, sentence by sentence - and some of those techniques spilled over into my Bible study, so I tend to naturally now read the Bible trying to see connections between phrases and words (hence why I tend to draw arrows and highlight words/phrases that repeat!). 

I also take sermon notes in the margins of my Bible, as well as write out dated prayer requests. 

For those of you who have asked from my Instagram posts, this is the Bible I use.

2. BibleHub.com

My love for the study of words also means I love trying to decipher the meaning of the words used in the original text of the Bible (Greek for the New Testament and Hebrew for the Old Testament). I use Bible Hub almost every day for this purpose. 

The site also has commentaries and sermons on various passages that I also reference often. Blue Letter Bible is another site that offers similar resources (they have a more expansive library of commentaries, including audio sermons on various passages). 

3. give me jesus Journal

On the days that I want to delve deep into a specific verse or passage, I use my Give Me Jesus journal from the Well Watered Women company. Here, I’ll write out the passage I want to study, and then take notes on the Greek/Hebrew words that make up each verse, look up cross references in the Bible for similar passages, journal out what the Holy Spirit is teaching me as I read, and take notes on anything that stands out to me from the commentaries and sermons I may read on the topic. 

What I love particularly about this journal is that it ends with a space to write out what you’re learning about God and how that changes how you live. So often I can get so academic about Bible study that I forget to wrap up my study by reminding myself that everything I learn is pointing me towards Jesus and teaching me more about the character of my God. 

The Well Watered Women community in general is a wonderful resource for encouragement and tools on how to get into the Word daily! 

4. Prayer Journal

Valerie recently published this post where she talked about the difference it made to journal out her prayers in a season when she was feeling depressed. Going through a similar hard season, I decided to try it out too, so for a few days, I would journal out my prayers in the mornings. Y’all, I am loving it. It is giving me the focus I was lacking in my prayers, and somehow makes my prayers seem more concrete. 

The prayer journal I use is also is set up by month, where each month has sections of specific things and people to pray for (our nation, family, friends, work, etc…). I need to be better about using it daily (I tend to start the month strong and then taper off), but it is a good way to keep track of the needs you’re praying for (especially when you promise someone you’ll pray for them or their need!), as well as seeing the answered prayers one by one! 

I get the yearly prayer journal from Val Marie Paper every year, and it’s a beautiful reminder of God’s faithfulness. Pre-orders for 2020 start soon, but you can also start with a 6-month undated prayer journal (that’s how I started!) - the set up on the inside is the same for each month. 

5. The Daily Grace Co. BIble studies

I need to be better about actually finishing some of these, but I own a lot of the Daily Grace Co. Bible studies and I love them. I tend to go through them on and off when I want to change up my quiet time and am looking for supplemental material to my own Bible study. If you’re new to Bible study, these studies are a great way to start!

If you’d like to see how I use some of these tools, I reference them often in our lives studies in our small groups. We’re currently studying discipleship and you can join for free any time! 

What tools and resources do you use in your daily quiet time? 

With love,

Yelena

PS. Note, at the end of the day, all you really need is your Bible and a plain old pen and paper (really, any journal will do!). I don’t share these resources to encourage you to buy stuff you won’t use or can’t afford (and these are not paid endorsements), but because over the years of trying all sorts of products and tools, these are the ones that have stood out to me the most. Plus, I have been following the founders and writers behind these resources for many years and have seen the fruit of their faith in a way that I respect and admire. If you are looking for more structure though, these are my personal favorite options (although I do often use my black moleskin journal to write out my Bible study notes and prayers - just depends on the day and season!).

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Yelena is the founder and editor in chief Tirzah. Yelena works as an attorney in tax and in her spare time, she is working on her first book for unmarried twenty-something women in extended waiting seasons and running Tirzah. She has a passion for pointing young women to Christ, and enjoys reading, writing, traveling, and spending time with her family.