Beat Bible Study Boredom with Maps !
Set your bible studies on fire with geography!
Maps and geography — remember when?
A couple of decades ago, you had to know how to read a map to get from point A to point B. Highway maps posted by the checkout were ready to be bought and sold in every gas station or truck stop.
Folks usually kept one or two foldable maps in a cubby somewhere in the car. I know I did.
Not anymore.
Now car maps are paper relics. Thanks to the wonder that is GPS, your car or even your phone can lead you straight to Desired Destination with very few problems. Just obediently follow the device’s directions and you’ll arrive without needing to decipher a map.
Geography NO!!!!
When boiled down to its essence, geography is simply the study of the physical features of the earth. You know mountain ranges, rivers, valleys. Big ole’ yawn.
It’s no secret. Geography can be BORING.
Eons ago when geography was still considered important enough to be taught in school, every classroom had a globe or a wall map. But let’s be honest, who among us was joyfully anticipating geography class? I hated it.
I never grasped how the discipline of geography was going to help me in the real world. How was knowing where this river was located and knowing the elevation of that continental mountain chain going to help me to get a job or beef up my college application? So, what was the point of learning it anyway?
But it’s an important skill
Geography is seldom taught in schools anymore. In fact, many of us are barely even exposed to it. We make it through the days just fine without looking at a map or needing to understand the topic of geography.
That lack of hands-on practice ends up spawning an unfortunate unfamiliarity that can become a real barrier. It prevents some of us from ever becoming comfortable with geography.
Then the topic of geography suddenly becomes intimidating: What do all of those vertical and horizontal lines represent? What do those different colors mean? How in the world do you pronounce some of those names?
And even if there is a willingness to learn, chances to be frequently exposed to geography can be few and far between. Just think about the news. Maps may be posted for a story, but usually the image is on the screen for a brief moment. There’s no time to orient and familiarize ourselves with the lay of the land that corresponds to the story.
And what if that was your only opportunity to see a map for the day?
Geography YES!!!!
Geography doesn’t have to be boring — especially when it comes to Bible study. It has practical applications.
Flip to those maps in back of your bible. Linger over the ones embedded within each of the books.
Learning to read and orient yourself on a map can be a valuable tool in your arsenal of study skills. The maps can help you better understand what you’re studying. Which is a way to up your bible study game. And we all want that, right?
Here are two other ways that geography skills can elevate your study time:
#1. It can help us interact more with the Scripture. A map can bring a bible passage alive! For example, no one knows exactly where the mysterious, ever-elusive Garden of Eden was located. We can’t pinpoint where Noah’s ark landed after the Flood. We don’t know exactly where Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River.
However, using a map in conjunction with a bible passage — locating that river, finding that mountain range, hypothesizing about where He took the plunge can bring a bible passage to life and beat back boredom.
The mental juices start flowing and just like that a one-time, yawn-inducing story suddenly becomes worthy of more investigation and deeper study of the book on which we base our lives.
#2. It can help us appreciate time and distance. These days travelling is easy and convenient. We can hop in the car or catch a plane and pretty much travel anywhere we want and get there relatively fast. Not so during the days of the Old and New Testaments.
Tracing their trek on a bible map can reveal to us how far and what terrain Rebekah managed in order to meet and marry Isaac; or, the miles Paul racked up during his mission trips on land and sea. The maps can help us to realize what people in biblical times went through to complete their divine missions.
Flip to a bible map and put your finger on the Island of Patmos where John was exiled for preaching the Good News about Jesus. How far did Jesus have to walk to deliver the life changing message to the Samaritan woman at the well? Elijah called down fire from heaven and defeated Jezebel’s false prophets on Mt. Carmel. Where is that place?
Challenge yourself. Flip those pages and find the locations. Don’t ignore those Bible maps any more. Let geography get you excited and ignite your bible study time!
Thanks for your time. Thanks for reading.
