Growing up, my family had devotions together most mornings at breakfast. When us kids were all teens, my dad had the idea for each person to lead devotions once a week, sharing something the Lord had showed us during our own personal quiet time.
Occasionally, one of us would come to breakfast with nothing to share, saying we forgot what stood out to us that week. Dad would respond, “That’s why you need a little black book.”
My Dad’s little black book was just that; a small, black, leather notebook he kept with his Bible. He used it to write down what the Lord spoke to him from the Word. My siblings and I resisted adopting our own “little black books” at first, preferring to trust our memories. However, after several mornings of having nothing to share (and Dad encouraging us to get a little black book), we gave in and each found our own method of note-taking.
Since then, taking notes has become one of my favorite tools for Bible study and general Bible reading. Here are three reasons why:
The Why
First, taking notes prepares our minds to receive and hear from the Lord. When I pull out a pen and my Quiet Time Companion along with my Bible, it helps me remember why I’m reading the Bible. I’m not coming to the Word to be entertained or to cross off an item on my to-do list. I’m here to know Jesus and receive from Him. Having a pen and paper ready also reminds me to listen to the Holy Spirit and talk with Him as I read. It reminds me to look for things in the Word that I can meditate on throughout the day.
Second, taking notes helps us remember what we are reading. Many studies agree that the action of handwriting notes causes the brain to remember what we are learning better. I’ve found this to be true when I take notes as I read the Bible. When I write down something the Lord showed me in His word, or copy a verse that stood out to me or write out a response to what I’ve read, I am far more likely to remember it than I am if the thought just crossed my mind and I continued reading.
Third, taking notes prepares us to share what the Lord is teaching us. Just as taking notes for my family devotions prepared me to share something with my family, so it equips us to share God’s Word with co-workers, friends, and neighbors. Because the act of taking notes strengthens your ability to remember what you read, you will find yourself more ready and able to share what you’ve been learning from God’s word with a friend over coffee or a neighbor in the backyard because you wrote it down.
The How
At this point, some of you are excited at the thought of taking notes—you already have your highlighters and pens pulled out! However, others might feel overwhelmed and intimidated.
If you’re overwhelmed, first I want to assure you that taking notes while reading the Bible is not required by God. It is simply a tool to help you grow in your understanding of God’s word and your love for Christ. As I’ve already shared, I believe it’s an effective tool that we should use if we can.
Second, it doesn’t have to be fancy or complicated to be effective. Which is good, because I like to keep things simple.
You don’t need a multi-colored highlighter set or a special gel pen. You don’t need a wide-margin, journaling Bible, or a color-coding system, or a beautiful leather journal. You aren’t required to illustrate Psalm 23 in the margin of your Bible or possess fancy hand-lettering skills.
Thankfully all you need is a regular pen, a notebook, and maybe a basic highlighter. I use my Quiet Time Companion instead of a notebook because I love how it keeps all my notes organized in one place along with my Bible reading plan, sermon notes, and prayer lists, but any regular notebook will work.
(Note: If the thought of bright pens and full-page pictures makes you excited to study the Bible, go for it! You have full permission to use creativity and color.)
Now that we have our tools down, how do we actually go about taking notes while reading?
1. Begin with prayer. Always begin reading the Bible with prayer. The Word of God is foolishness to the mind of man. We can only understand and love it by the enabling of the Holy Spirit. The incredible thing is, we have full access to the Holy Spirit as believers! He delights to give us insight into His Word if we will only ask Him.
2. As you read, underline and highlight verses that stand out to you. You can also copy verses into your Quiet Time Companion and make notes in the margin of your Bible.
3. When the Lord speaks to you about His character, sin, or how the verse you are reading shines light on what you read last week, write that down. If He encourages you, or brings direction through what you read, write that down. Let this be a time of conversation between you and Jesus.
As you pull out your notebooks and pens and highlighters, remember that this tool is intended to help us grow in our knowledge and love for Jesus. So however simple or fancy you choose to make it, may your note-taking be a time of fellowship and communion with Christ.