Another semester of Bible study at my church had come to a close. My thoughts turned immediately to how I would meet God now. How could I hear from Him if I didn’t have a fill-in-the-blank workbook to guide me or a teacher on a video to tell me all the rich insights I needed? Would I be able to understand God for myself through His Word in Scripture?
I had come to know Jesus a few years before, after reading a borrowed Bible from a co-worker. In that first read-through of the book of Genesis, God opened my understanding to recognize that He is real, and that He was inviting me into relationship by virtue of His sacrifice on the cross. I wondered if, like then, the Holy Spirit could help me see truth from His Word for myself.
I had spent time being trained in inductive study methods but wondered if without a seminary degree I could know God better for myself. Jesus promised in John 14:26 (ESV), “The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”
As I was tending to my salsa garden one afternoon, it was like the Lord whispered to me that just like I tended the young plants there, He would tend to my soul with His Word.
So, using what I’d learned about how to study the Bible, and by taking God at His Word, I put together a simple acronym to guide me through Scripture to hear the voice of God for myself. The TEND method was born.
The TEND Approach to Scripture Meditation
T stands for take time to pray. As we come to God in His Word, it is imperative that we acknowledge this is the living Word of God given for us to know Him better. So when we open our Bible, we begin by asking God to speak to us through it.
E stands for examine the Scripture. In our age of screens and technology, we often miss the slower pace of using our hand to write out a verse of Scripture. Taking just a few moments to copy into a journal the living words of God helps us not only slow down and pay attention to details, but it begins to write those words on our mind. Studies show that we can have higher retention when we write by hand compared to just reading or listening.
N stands for notice the lesson. God’s Word reveals God. So we begin by asking of the verses we wrote, what does this teach about God? Second Timothy 3:16–17 tells us also that, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” As we consider the verses we wrote, we want to ask: is there a sin, promise, action, command or example here? What are these verses teaching, correcting, or training in the original audience? This is not a direct application but rather stating the lesson being taught, the truth being revealed.
Finally, D stands for do what it says. This is where we consider the lesson we wrote and ask, how will I respond to this today? This is where we want to be specific about our life, circumstances, relationships, and consider how—based on this lesson or truth—I can respond to it today in one small step.
In the letter James wrote to the church, he warned believers to “be doers of the word, and not hearers [or readers] only, deceiving yourselves” (James 1:22). We don’t simply want to learn more about God and His Word; we want to walk in obedience to what He reveals to us through it. Out of our love for the Master Gardener who is tending to our soul, we put action to what He is teaching us and thus begin to bear fruit.
The Journey of Drawing Closer to God through Scripture
This simple acronym began to unfold God’s Word to me in a profound way. I began to see the reality of what the psalmist says in Psalm 119:130: “The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple.” I am a simple-minded girl who needed a simple way to lean into the mysterious Word of God and know Him better. This method has guided me to hear God through His Word for the last several years. As I have shared it with others who also desire to know Him but don’t know where to begin, I have seen confidence grow in God’s people as they’ve slowed down to tend their souls with the truth of His Word and began to bear fruit for His glory (John 15:8).
Just like it takes time for a salsa garden with its tomatoes, jalapenos, and peppers to grow little by little, so it is with our intimacy with God. By the power of the Holy Spirit in you, God will reveal Himself to you through His Word. But you and I have to be willing to slow down, lean in, and respond.
*English Standard Version[NB1] translation used throughout.
—Written by Mariel Davenport. Used by permission from the author.
