I’ve practiced writing passages from Scripture–some short and some longer–sporadically. But recently, I have dedicated more time to doing this and learning first-hand about the joys of writing Scripture by hand. In this post, I’m sharing the benefits of Scripture Scribing.
The practice of writing Scripture by hand, or Scripture Scribing, is one of the oldest forms of visual faith dating back long before the Middle Ages. Monks and other scribes would copy ancient texts including Latin and Greek classics as well as the Holy Bible. Monasteries had “scriptoriums” or writing rooms designated for this work. It was a painstakingly delicate task with dim lighting, and for their work, we are highly indebted. Their work preserved texts for generations! Today, we take this for granted because with the swipe of one finger, we can read the Bible in hundreds of translations and even languages.
Many of us have written a Bible verse on a 3 x 5 card or in a journal to remind us of an important message from God’s Word. Maybe we wanted to memorize a passage so we wrote it on a sticky note to put on our bathroom mirror.
What you might not realize, though, is that some people today spend time writing longer passages, chapters, books, and even the whole Bible by hand. Why would they do this? They have excellent reasons besides copying to preserve texts or memorize–there are several benefits of scripture scribing.
“When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the Levitical priests. It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the Lord his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees and not consider himself better than his fellow Israelites and turn from the law to the right or to the left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel.”
Deuteronomy 17:18-20 (emphasis mine)
The Benefits of Scripture Scribing
Slow.
You will slow down. This is one of the main reasons I am scribing. If I listen to Bible passages, which is great for my on-the-go times, I rush. If I read Bible passages, my eyes might skim more than they should. I’m a fast reader which doesn’t help for soaking in. Yes, I have a tendency to want to check the “finish” box by the end of the day. I speed up the reading to 1.5x. I skim. What? This is not a race, Beth.
Focus.
You’ll pay close attention. Writing the actual words makes me notice each word and phrase. Sometimes I read a long phrase and try to remember it as I scribe. Other times, I will scribe short passages and notice details I may have missed if I had read or heard the same passage. I find myself saying over and over, “I didn’t know that was in the Bible!” And I’ve read through the Bible many times, but not always in a thoughtful way.
Meditate.
You’ll be immersed in God’s Word and these words will be written on paper AND ultimately where it matters–on your heart. This is a beautiful way to meditate on God’s Word.
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
Psalm 1:1-3 ESV
Record.
You will have a lovely record of your time in God’s Word. Perhaps you will want to highlight words, ask a question, or add a prayer in the margin as God calls something or someone to mind. Consider this as a gift to your children and grandchildren. How I would have loved to have my grandmother’s handwritten script! I have some of her handwritten prayers and handwritten favorite verses from hymns, and they are so special.
Tips to Help You Begin Scripture Scribing
Knowing the benefits of Scripture Scribing, keep reading for some tips to help you begin.
Choose a separate notebook that you will use for scribing.
You can scribe in anything, but I like it when it’s a special notebook or journal dedicated to scribing. Then you will be able to focus and not be distracted if your to-do list is on the previous page. (How do I khow this? I’ve tried scribing in my day planner and bullet journal. It didn’t work for me!)
Be sure it’s a notebook you like to write in. I know that sounds picky, but I’ve been down the road where I spent money on a pretty notebook for scribing or journaling and then found it didn’t work well for me. One was so thick, it didn’t lay flat. Another one, the paper was scratchy.
I prefer a spiral college-ruled or dotted grid notebook. Unlined is great for more creative scribers who might want to sketch in the white spaces. If you’ve spent any time on handwriting, you’ll understand all these details. Choose what works best for you. Experiment. Play with it. But you certainly don’t need to spend a lot of money to do this.
Pens are important too.
Why? If you write long-handed often, you will already know this. But if you don’t, then try different pens with various papers. See what you like. Some flow better. Others smudge too much. Many are smooth and glide easily. Choose one that feels effortless. I can tell you my favorites, but it’s unique to each of us. Kind of like choosing an entree from a big menu. Again, experiment!
Choose the Bible passages.
The Visual Faith® Ministry team has set up an entire yearly plan for this, so that’s what I’m following this year. (They are focused on the Names of Jesus for 2024.) But you can choose whatever you want. It’s helpful to have a plan so you don’t spend too much of your scribing time figuring out what passage to write. Here are a few places to begin:
- Your favorite passages. This is a great way to collect them all in one place.
- The Book of Psalms. I have a friend and Bible teacher who writes one Psalm every day. Such a beautiful practice!
- A short book of the Bible. (Philemon, Obadiah, and Jude are good short books.)
- An ambitious goal is to write the entire Bible. You could do this in 6 ½ years if you write 30 minutes per day! Check out The Analog Pastor if you are curious.
- Another thematic study where you follow a digital plan from Dwell or Bible Gateway.
- Lenten or Advent devotional scribing.
Go slowly.
Penmanship doesn’t matter unless you want it to be legible for generations to come. Print. Cursive. A blend. Take your time, and focus on the words, God’s Word. Remember, you aren’t making a grocery list.
Most importantly, it’s the process that matters and not the finished product. This is just one way to dig into God’s Word and meditate on the beautiful gift of His love and grace through Jesus Christ. If it stresses you to do this, set it aside and try again another time. Or choose another way to soak in God’s abundant love for you, maybe a different visual faith practice! To God be the glory!
Curious to learn more Visual Faith practices? Read these posts:
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Feature photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash.
