Hello,
This is Barb and I'm going to talk to you today about my SOAP notes.
Many people have asked how I compile my biblical meditations.
I work in the medical field,
So we frequently use SOAP notes to organize our patients' symptomology and treatments.
I'm going to show you how I use this for going over the scriptures for biblical meditation.
SOAP is an acronym that was first generated by Dr.
Lawrence Weed,
MD in the 1970s.
At that time,
There was no objective method of documentation,
Which led physicians to making unscientific decisions about patient treatment.
SOAP notes gave the physicians rigor and structure and a way to practice how to communicate with each other.
Before the standardized SOAP notes,
Providers communicated with each other in unstructured formats leaving patient care up to great chance.
S stood for symptom or subjective,
What the patient problem and onset was.
O meant objective.
These were the vital signs,
Lab results,
And the physician's exam.
A was assessment or application.
This was their diagnosis,
The direction they continue to investigate.
P is for planned.
What we're going to do to treat the patient.
Applying this to my biblical meditations,
The acronym of SOAP now stands for S is for scripture,
O is for observation,
A is for application,
P is for prayer and meditation,
S is for scripture.
I like to use the YouVersion Bible app to look up the scripture.
This is an easy way to compare different versions of scripture.
I usually start out with the KJV,
Then the NIV,
Then the AMPLIFIED.
Lastly I compare it with the message.
I pick the version which speaks to me the most.
I prefer to write it down by hand and not to copy and paste.
Writing it in longhand in a journal helps me get it into my body and mind.
O is for observation.
Observation is the overall message,
The content.
Are there any repeating words?
Are there commands or promises?
Truths to believe in,
Errors to avoid?
I might also see who it was written to and what was their situation at hand.
A is for application.
I make it personal since this is God's word to us.
I put the words me or I into the scripture.
I also look for things that I have not been doing or should be doing.
I look for things I should stop doing.
I make a plan of what I'll do and when.
Intention and planning is essential.
I make a plan of what I should do and when.
I think of who I will share this with.
For example,
Today I will be kinder with my words at work.
I will become more aware of how I speak with Tracy.
P is for prayer and meditation.
There is no better way to pray to the divine than to use his very own words from the Bible.
I look to how I might have a new knowledge of the character of the divine.
I believe that meditation is the in-between step of worship or hearing the word and prayer.
It gets us into the personal experience of what the divine has to say to us and for our lives.
I examine how my perspective should change from what I learn.
I am asking the divine how he would have me use this scripture and make it personal.
I ask him for inward help to achieve this transformation.
I look to see how I can share what I have learned to help someone else.
S is for scripture.
O is for observation.
A is for application.
E is for prayer and meditation.
I hope this has been helpful to you.
And you can see as you read scripture and meditate,
You can develop a closer relationship with the divine.
Reading or hearing the word lets us know about the character of the divine.
Studying the word transforms our mind.
Prayer is the highest work of the human spirit.
And I encourage you to start a journal and to start this practice yourself and see where it leads with your search,
With your prayer and meditation.
THE reverse.
