Life As It Ought To Be

The goal of the SOS Journey

In the SOS Journey we are seeking to be renewed in the inner person day by day (2 Corinthians 4:16). The reason we walk the SOS Journey is to align our hearts with the gospel heart of God. The SOS Journey is a focused time that enables us to live the gospel all the time. The SOS Journey equips us to live in Christ and by the Spirit and to the glory of the Father. The goal of the SOS Journey is the awakening of the people (of God) for the awakening of the peoples (of our world).

The SOS Journey is a focused time that enables us to live the gospel all the time.

What is the SOS Journey?

The SOS Journey teaches us to read the Bible carefully; to ponder the Bible deeply; to pray from the Bible fervently; and then to go out and live & share the Bible faithfully. Here are the distinctives of this devotional adventure.

The SOS Journey is a devotional journey, not just a Bible reading plan. It is about the heart engaging God through Word and prayer.
The SOS Journey is systematic. The Journey takes us through the whole Bible (in a year, two years, or longer according to how much we read each day).
The SOS Journey is contemplative. We choose a small portion of the day’s readings to think about and to ponder deeply. We need to take time to think deeply about the Word of God for the Word of God to take root in our hearts.

How much time does it take to walk the SOS Journey?

Our schedules will vary according to our life situations. But a good goal is to schedule a half hour each day for the Journey. This allows time to read, ponder, and pray and then to go out and live our day. Seek to schedule a particular time for the SOS Journey each day. We want to create a habit of life which allows for flexibility. The most natural time for most will be the beginning of the day. A short saying that helps me is “Word before work.”[1]

You may not have a half hour each day or you may not be able to complete the Journey in a half hour. You can adjust the amount of reading you do to accommodate your schedule. The important thing is that you read a portion of the Word of God and think deeply about it each day.

What if you miss a day or days? If you are able to catch up, that is fine. But don’t feel that you have to. Perfection is not required. Just pick up with the reading for that day.

How do we walk the SOS Journey?

On the Journey there are four related aspects: we read, we ponder, we pray, and we live & share.

We Read

First, write the day’s date on the top of the page. Then write the word “Read” in your journal (any notebook will do) with a box around it and the passage(s) that you will read on that day.

Read prayerfully

Before you begin reading, prepare your heart by confessing any known sin and asking God, as you read, to reveal his majesty and wonder “in the face of Jesus” (2 Corinthians 4:6). This step is critically important and often overlooked. We need to be mindful that the Bible is not just a book, but the Word of God and the Spirit uses it to speak to us. Consider praying the Lord’s prayer slowly and meditatively (Matthew 6:9-13) before you read. I often use an acronym I learned from John Piper: I.O.U.S. I stands for incline. “Incline my heart to your testimonies…” (Ps. 119:36). O stands for open. “Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law” (Psalm 119:18). U stands for unite. “Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name” (Ps. 86:11). S stands for satisfy. “Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love” (Psalm 90:14). And the L stands for lead. “Lead me in your paths of love and righteousness” (Psalm 23:3).[2]

Read systematically

The SOS Journey uses the M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan.[3] The M’Cheyne Bible Reading guide has four readings for each day taking you through the entire Bible in a year and the Psalms and New Testament twice. I recommend that most people read the first two columns one year and the second two the following year. This leads time for pondering and praying a portion of the reading. If you do that you will read through half of the Old Testament and the whole of the New Testament and Psalms each year. For some, reading two passages on a daily basis is too much. In that case you might simply read the second column (New Testament and Psalms) the first year and then the fourth column (also the New Testament and Psalms) the second year.

Choose a portion to ponder

After you have read the passages for the day, ask the Spirit to guide you to a smaller portion of the day’s reading. What strikes you as worthy of special attention? Where is the Spirit directing your attention? You will think more deeply about this smaller portion. It could be a verse, or a few verses, or an entire chapter.

We Ponder

Then write the word “Ponder” (or “think” or “consider”) with a box around it. We want to think more deeply about this smaller portion you have chosen for the day. This is contemplation or reflection. We want to integrate the Word of God into all that we are. We seek to be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:1).

We do this through the tool of journaling. This simply means writing some thoughts related to the verse or verses you are focusing on for that day in a notebook. We use the acronym SOMA[4] to guide our thinking. Soma means ‘body’ in Greek and, I discovered that in Swahili it means ‘to read.’

I read Psalm 112 and decided to think more deeply about verse 7: “He [the righteous] is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD.” Let’s see what that might look like

Scripture – Choose a portion to think more deeply about

The letter “S” in SOMA stands for Scripture, so here you focus on one or more key verses. Write the letter ’S’ on the left side of the notebook with an underline. Sometimes I write “to which Scripture is the Spirit directing my attention today?” next to the letter ‘S’. Write the verse reference of the portion of the reading for the day upon which you will focus. Read the portion slowly.

Observe – What does it say?

The next step is to observe, (the “O” in SOMA). Write “O” on the left (underlined) and under the “S.” Next to it write out observations you make from the passage. Here you ask “What does it say?” You are You are just observing what the author was saying to the people in that day. Today I noted the two parts to Psalm 112:7 (“not afraid of bad news” and “heart firm, trusting in the Lord”). Just note what the passage says. It might seem obvious, but observation is key to understanding. You are asking the questions, “What did the author of the passage say to the original readers?”

Meaning – What does it mean?

The letter “M” stands for meaning. Now you begin to interpret the passage (all literature needs to be interpreted — even this morning’s newsfeed!). John Piper tells us that meaning is “what the author intended to communicate by his words.”[5] You write the letter “M” on the left and underline it. Here you ask the question “What does it mean?” Today I asked, “What does it mean to not be afraid of bad news?” I noted two things: (1) it doesn’t say that the righteous like bad news, just that he or she is not afraid of bad news. And (2) trust is the antidote to fear. Here you are wrestling with the question, “What does it mean?” We are seeking understanding.

We discern meaning by looking at the passage through the lens of the gospel.

Apply – What does it say to me?

The last letter of SOMA is “A” which stands for apply. You must apply the truth and meaning of the passage to your life. The meaning of the passage must be experienced.[6] Here you write an underlined “A” in the journal and then ask how the truth of the passage intersects with your life for that particular day. “How do I rejoice always today? Or “How does this verse affect how I think about my day?” Here you are asking “What does it say to me today?”

When we are journaling, we are doing what the Bible calls meditating (Joshua 1:8; Psalm 1). To meditate means to think deeply or to ponder. When we wrestle with what the verse says, means, and how it applies to our lives, we are meditating. God calls us to not only read but to think deeply about what we read! What do we do differently? How are we to think differently? How am I to feel differently? How do I speak differently? How will I live differently because of this passage?

We Pray

Now pray out of the passage. Spirit-aided prayer (Ephesians 6:18) is how the gospel forms in our hearts. Write the word “Pray” in your journal with a box around it and write out a short prayer next to it. Prayer is how we respond, bringing our hearts into alignment with God’s Word. Ask God to make this truth true in your heart and living. There are two parts to our prayer: He is worthy and we are needy.[7]We always find something to praise God for and something to ask God for.

We begin our prayer with what the passage tells us of the worth of God: He is worthy. And then we pray for our needs in relation to the passage.

He is worthy: What is there in this passage to praise God for?

I am needy: What is there in this passage that I need? Pray for various needs in your life.

There is transforming power when we pray the Word of God in the power of the Spirit. “We pray what we read, working our lives into active participation in what God reveals in the word.”[8]

We live & Share

The fourth element of the Journey is “we live.” Write the word “Live” with a box around it. Write out a single sentence or even just a phrase that will help you to live out the meaning of the portion you pondered for that day. For Psalm 112, I wrote, “My heart is firm, trusting the Lord.” Take a few moments to rest in that truth. And then go out and live the truth you have just been reading, thinking, and praying about. And throughout the day, as the Spirit reminds you of the reading and thinking you did earlier, reorient your life, your heart, and your thinking with the truth of God. Pray without ceasing. This is how the Bible transforms us.

An important part of living the truth of the passage is sharing what you learned with someone else.[9] We seek to live the truth of the passage and then look for opportunity to share it with others. Take the truth you wrote out under “live” and seek to share that truth with someone else during your day. This will help you and often will minister to others.

Family Devotions

For family devotions, read the smaller portion of the day’s reading together as a family. Then talk about the verse or verses for a few minutes. Ask, “What does it mean?” And “How do we apply this passage?” And then pray together as a family. Again there should be two parts to your prayer: He is worthy and we are needy. Seek to have each part of the family participate; it should be a conversation, not a monologue.

Here is my journal for Psalm 112:

The Sword of the Spirit Devotional Journey PDF Download

[1] I learned this saying from Dennis Henderson of the 6:4 Fellowship — although he used “worship before work.”
[2] John Piper, Reading the Bible Supernaturally (Wheaton: Crossway 2017), 255,256, 272.
[3]The readings for the M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan can easily be found through an internet search. The SOS Journey can be adapted to use with other Bible reading plans.
[4] See Reading the Word of God in the Presence of God by Vern S. Poythress for a deeper look at how to read the Bible in the way I am suggesting.
[5] Piper, p. 301.
[6] Ibid. 301.
[7] This expression comes from Pastor Daniel Henderson.
[8] Eugene Peterson Eat This Book p. 109.
[9] I took this idea from my friend Lou Prontnicki

More than a Bible reading plan…