Bible Study for Busy People: Finding PEACE in God’s Word

When our lives run at the speed of light, we find it difficult to fit in Bible study. And if we do manage to get a sliver of time to read Scripture, we may rush through our study time just to say we did it. How can busy people make Bible study matter?

During my final year of college, I had no time for lunch. Music history met at 11:00 am. Concert choir rehearsals were at 12 noon. Elementary Music Methods started at 1:00 pm. My only option was a peanut butter and jelly sandwich that I ate during the first few minutes of the Music Methods class. I would rather have had a salad or bowl of soup but a peanut butter and jelly sandwich met my needs. I could keep one in my backpack all morning, it wasn’t messy, and I could eat it quickly. I didn’t savor this necessary, but ordinary meal.

Too often, I treat my time in the Word the same way. I don’t have much time, so I read the necessary chapters in my Bible reading plan, but don’t take the time to savor them. How can we make our time in the Word meaningful?

Find PEACE in God’s Word

Finding PEACE in God’s Word helps me go a bit deeper even when time is short. I used this method of study for many years and found it helped me to take away a transforming truth each time I opened my Bible. This technique works with any length of Scripture passage, so it’s perfect for our busy lives.

When we use this method we will not only read the Bible, but search for the truths God has for our daily lives. Each truth starts with one of the letters in the word PEACE.

• Promise
• Example to follow or not to follow
• Attitude
• Command
• Enlargement of my view of God

For example, looking in one of favorite chapters, Philippians 4, we can find:

• Promise “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7) God promises to guard our hearts with His peace. Even when life is difficult, God’s unfathomable peace is available to us.
• Example to follow or not to follow: “I entreat Euodia and I entreat Syntyche to agree in the Lord” (Philippians 4:2). It seems these two women were not getting along. We should not follow their example of disagreement, but follow Paul’s instruction to agree in the Lord.
• Attitude: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Philippians 4:8). Our minds should be occupied with truth and justice. We should think about pure, honorable, and lovely things.
• Command: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice” (Philippians 4:4). Paul commands us to rejoice in the Lord. This means looking for something to be joyful about in God’s character, even when we find it difficult to have joy in our circumstances.
• Enlargement of my view of God: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6). God invites me invites to unburden my cares on Him. He doesn’t want me to worry so He allows me to pray about everything little thing that bothers me.

Finding PEACE Fits Into a Busy Schedule

This type of Bible study can fit into a busy schedule. Simply read a chapter or two and write down the PEACE you find in a journal. Not all chapters will contain all five elements, but each day you will find a truth to tuck into your soul for the rest of the day. Take a few minutes to savor God’s Word.

Next step: Grab your Bible, journal, and pen. Choose a favorite chapter of Scripture and find PEACE: Promise, Example, Attitude, Command, and Enlargement of your view of God.

For more ideas for Bible study for busy people read about 7 non-tech strategies you can use and 5 tech strategies.