One of my favorite quotes is “Enjoy God’s work.” I don’t know where I first read it, but it applies in so many situations. It’s such good advice for life. Psalm 139 is such a brilliant example of this sentiment! Oftentimes when I journal a page in my Bible, I focus on 1 verse or a small cluster of verses, but there are times when I want to highlight an entire CHAPTER! Are you like that too? Reading through Psalm 139 was like that for me, so I did just that. I highlighted every line in the Psalm! It’s all so great & I had mental notes on every stanza.
Sometimes a whole chunk of Scripture is hard to process, but when you break it down into bits & dissect it, you can sort out the themes & ideas you pull from it more easily. Plus it allows you to return to that page & see the main points more clearly for focused study. Make little notes to yourself, highlight, draw diagrams, dissect it, mark up the pages, underline, do all those things in great love for the Word!
When you have so many notes that you feel like you’re overflowing the margins, that’s a GREAT time for a tip-in in my opinion! Tip-ins are cards or extra paper bits that you make into flaps with a tape runner, washi tape, or a paperclip. They free up so much space for you on the actual Bible page & still allow you a surface for creativity. :)
You can see for this page, I attached a tip-in to the outer edge of my Bible page with washi tape & was able to have some artistic fun with it! I wrote out a title that I felt encapsulated Psalm 139. When you open the flap, it’s like you’re diving under the sea to get to the bottom of the scripture passage. I drew brackets around different stanzas & highlighted them with contrasting colors, then made as many notes as the page would hold in the margins. :)
I’m beginning to do do this style of journaling I call “Scripture Dissection” more & more because I find myself wanting a deeper understanding of what I’m reading! Sometimes I look up published commentaries of different books of the Bible & make notes from those in the margins as well. The more info & notes I can pack into it, the better. Surround yourself with His Word & guidance! Jump right into the pages to immerse yourself!
I’ll leave you with this passage of advice from Psalm 139:17-18:
How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
If I would count them, they are more than the sand.
I awake, and I am still with you.
<3 Elaine
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