Scripture Engagement:

Having a foundational understanding of Scripture engagement is critical, but just as critical is developing the skills necessary to actually be able to better meet God in His Word. Like the Ethiopian eunuch, we often need a "Philip" to come along side of us to help us know what to do when we come to the Bible (Acts 8:26-40), someone who can model the process.
There isn't just one right way to engage with Scripture. In the same way that there are many ways to exercise that lead to being healthy, there are a variety of ways to engage Scripture that lead to spiritual health. The church throughout its history has used and taught a number of ways to help people reflect on Scripture. Different people seem to be attracted to different Scripture engagement practices. There doesn't seem to be a one-size-fits-all way of coming to the Scriptures, the spiritual life is more personal than that. It is probably best to use a variety of Scripture engagement practices over time, though there may be some that each person will tend to be drawn back to over and over. The basic "ingredients" of Scripture engagement are:

• Preparation of the heart to listen to God
• Reading/Listening to God's Word
• Reflecting/Meditating on God's Word
• An openness to the Holy Spirit
• Prayer
• A community to talk to about what is being learned/experienced
• Commitment to obey

These basic ingredients can be mixed and matched in different ways using different practices based on the needs of the learner. But in general, each ingredient is needed for the best results.