I wasn't always a freestyler when it comes to studying the Word. In the beginning it can be hard to figure out how to study the Word (or even what to study). There are a ton of mnemonic devices to help you study the Bible. I plan to do a video summarizing 5 of them, but I also wanted to show you examples of them in use. The five mnemonics I will be covering are:

I found the FEAST method well after I had been doing the SOAP method and honestly, I like it a little better. Unlike the other mnemonics, each letter in FEAST is actually a phrase. Unfortunately that makes it a little harder to remember, but once you’ve done it a few times, the first word in the phrase is enough to trigger your memory. I found a great explanation of each letter at One Thing Alone ministries.[1] Below we’ll use the FEAST method to step through Psalm 73:26.

As always, the first thing we should do is pray. I love that for this method the word to remember is focus instead of prayer, though, because it encompasses a lot more than praying. Sometimes life is hectic or out of our control and we find ourselves studying on our long but noisy commute via the bus or subway. Sometimes we live in an environment where we can’t find peace and quiet (particularly if you’re a minor and still living at home). We make do with our situation. However when we do have more freedom, it’s important to make time to dedicate to studying where there are no distractions. Taking the time to focus on the Father and find a space conducive to studying before jumping in the study is game changer.

There are multiple ways to engage with the text and depending on how much time you have to spend, the more (or less) techniques you can use. The simplest thing to do is list out your observations (that’s what I did in the example). You can also choose words from the passage to look up and do a word study or two. Mind maps and cross referencing to pull together themes and context is also a great idea.

My observations for Psalm 73:26 are as follows:

Most of the time verses need to be put in context (rare exceptions being something like “thou shalt not kill”). This is the time to do this. Ask yourself who wrote this passage? When were they writing? Who were they writing to? This information is crucial to determining what message the author was trying to send. In addition to what the author was saying then, how is it relevant now?

Thoughts I had on assessing the meaning for Psalm 73:26:

Next we want to figure out how to apply the passage to our life—comprehension without application, is it really comprehension? For this passage, my question for applying this to life was “how do I place my mind and body in God’s hand?” Essentially I asked my self how does God protect me and how can I keep myself healthy.

Lastly, we want to pray for all of the information to stick, to take root in our hearts, and for the surrendering of ourselves to God.