More Inductive Overview

Prayer: While prayer is not listed as a component of Inductive Bible Study, please understand the importance of prayer in Bible study. Before you begin, while you study, as you consider the application, and as you live out the application, prayer should be employed to help. As you approach studying the Bible, you should pray. And be aware of your prayers. Your prayers should model Psalm 119:18 "Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law." One of our pet peeves is praying, "Lord, make your Word come alive." We have news for you, God's Word is alive and well and does not need your prayers. What needs prayer is our eyes to see, our minds to understand, and our hearts to be changed. So pray. Pray hard. Pray well.

Context: Another good thing to be aware of is the context of the passage. What type of book is it? Is it a letter written to a specific group of people? That will change how the observations build the interpretation. Psalm 1 is one of our favorites, but the fact that it is the first Psalm influences how it is understood and applied. But be careful with context. Don't let it de-rail you from getting into the text.