Today, let's explore the Bible, inviting the God-breathed words of the Lord to wash over you: awakening, deepening, training, and filling you as you move into this day and new year acknowledging Trinity God is right here with you. As you gather verses related to your word, may the Spirit begin to paint the picture of this word, expanding the theme, inviting you into what he sees. Allow his words to wash over you like the Jordan River ran over those twelve stones that we read about on the first day of this plan. May his words gently soothe and smooth the rough places, making you more like him, eroding all that is not part of the full and glorious life he has for you.
Depending on your word of the year, it may be easy to find hundreds of related verses in the Bible, or none at all! Don't lose hope.
Here are some ways to find your theme in Scripture:
Pop back to the front page on The Bible App. Tap on the magnifying glass (Discover) and type in your theme word (or related words). Then choose “see all” next to the “Bible” heading. Do not write down every single verse. Read over them, looking for ones that relate to the word in the way that holds the most meaning to you, ones that resonate with your heart, or ones that make you wonder or ask questions of God.
Head to google and/or Pinterest. Search “Bible verses about…” or “Bible verses related to…”
If you still are struggling to find verses about your word, you could reach out to a friend or pastor and ask if they know any verses related to your theme.
Last year my theme was “Deeply Rooted.” Ironically, it felt challenging to find reference verses for this theme, after my year with the word "joy" that had many verses to choose from. I looked up trees, branches, roots, rooted, streams, shallow, and deep in order to find a handful of verses. My years with “joy” and “hope” I had so many verses the effort was in narrowing the list.
As you find verses related to your theme, write them down or copy and paste them into a document. Today is all about exploring and collecting verses. Tomorrow, we will explore them more deeply.
As you ponder all this with God today, consider asking Him:
Father, which verse(s) would you like to explore with me? Why?
Jesus, would you open my heart to places where this theme touches your heart and experience in your years walking on Earth?
Spirit, as I read the verses related to my word, will you open my heart and mind to what you desire to speak to me in this theme?
