Beyond Reading: How to Meditate on Scripture and Deepen Your Spiritual Conversation

When I was first out of MTC, I thought that just *reading* the scriptures was the hardest part of the work. I’d set a goal to read through a book of scripture every week, feeling like I was checking off a box for the District Leader. I was doing the work, but I was doing it in the most passive way possible. I was consuming information, but I wasn't letting the information consume me.

I remember sitting down to study a challenging passage—maybe something about the Atonement or the Plan of Salvation—and I’d read it, highlight it, and feel accomplished. But when I closed the scriptures, the profound weight of the words would slip away. It was like running a marathon and forgetting the finish line. If you've ever felt like you read a whole chapter, but can’t recall a single principle when you sit down to talk to an investigator, you are not alone.

The Essential Disciplines: Word and Prayer

Recently, I listened to a thoughtful discussion with Dr. Don Whitney on the spiritual disciplines. If you’re serious about the work, this is required listening. He made a very clear point: the two most important personal spiritual disciplines are the intake of the Word of God and prayer. Everything else—fasting, journaling, etc.—grows out of these two foundations. If those aren't solid, the rest is just decoration.

The Difference Between Reading and Meditating

What really struck me was the problem of retention. We all struggle with this. We read, we close the book, and we remember nothing. Dr. Whitney explained that the problem isn't our memory capacity or our intelligence; it's our method. We treat scripture like a story to be read, rather than a living conversation to be lived.

“The simple permanent biblical solution to that is to meditate on scripture—not merely to read, but meditate.”

Think about this: If you only have 10 minutes for your scriptures, don't spend 10 minutes reading. Spend 5 minutes reading, and then 5 minutes meditating. Meditation means slowing down. It means asking: *What does this mean for my life today? How does this apply to the investigator sitting across from me? What does the Spirit want me to feel about this verse?*

Making Prayer More Than a Duty

The same principle applies to prayer. It's easy to fall into the trap of the “same old things.” We pray the same prayers, about the same old things, and eventually, it becomes rote, obligatory, and joyless. The Spirit, however, doesn't operate on routine. He operates on *specificity* and *heart*.

If you want your prayer to be more powerful, don't just list things you are grateful for. Instead, take a principle you studied that week—say, the need for Christlike patience—and structure a small portion of your prayer around it. Ask Heavenly Father to help you *be* patient in a specific scenario that you know is coming up. This transforms prayer from a checklist into a deep, intentional covenant conversation.

Your Next Disciple Challenge: Slowing Down

If you feel overwhelmed by the time required for deep study, I have a simple challenge for you this week: When you open your scriptures, commit to spending 80% of your time on only one or two verses, meditating on them until they feel like they are changing your perspective. Don't rush to the next paragraph. Let the words sink in. Let the Spirit whisper the answer.

Remember, the goal of missionary preparation isn't just accumulating knowledge; it's accumulating *spiritual capacity*. The more you build that capacity now, the easier it will be when you are in the field. You are building a spiritual muscle, and like any muscle, it requires intentional, focused effort.

If you want to talk through specific difficult questions—like, “But what if my investigator asks me something I don’t know?”—I highly recommend running through a session with **Davee** using his AI Investigator role. He’s trained to walk you through those hard questions and help you articulate the answers in a way that honors the Spirit.

And if you want to keep this study momentum going, check out the HolyPlaces Book Clubs. We have groups dedicated to digging deep into the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants. It's the best way to find companions to hold you accountable!