The Quest - Study Journal: An Excursion Toward Intimacy with God

by Beth Moore

Curiosity is hardwired in humanity. We have this innate need to question and seek after what we don’t know or understand.
 
In this 6-session Bible study, delve into Scripture to explore how God created us to seek after Him—a God who desires to be found and known. In this lifelong quest of faith, learn to develop your intimacy with Him and embrace the adventure that comes with living a life for God.

Genres: Christian, Nonfiction, Faith, Christian Living, Religion, Spirituality, Christian Non Fiction

224 pages, Paperback

Published September 15, 2017

About the author

Beth Moore has written many best–selling books and is a dynamic teacher and a prolific Bible–study author whose public speaking engagements take her across the United States to challenge tens of thousands. Beth is focused on teaching women all over the world and is known and respected wherever she goes. She is a dedicated wife and mother of two adult daughters and lives in Houston, Texas, where she leads Living Proof Ministries and teaches an adult Sunday school class. Beth is one of the best known women in the evangelical Christian market.

Reviews

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a HUGE Beth Moore fan. I've done almost all of her studies. Yet, I was somewhat disappointed with this one. The vocabulary she used is not common vernacular and left many attendees feeling "dumb"--their words, not mine. More women dropped out of this study than ever before. I've never had this happen...I might lose one or two along the way, but most stay the course. This time over half of the class just quit coming. There were many times, I wasn't sure what some of the words meant and I'm not talking about the Greek or Hebrew references. So while I think I did learn a lot from reading my Bible and spending time with the Lord, I don't think I learned as much as I could have if I had known what she was saying and/or asking. Also, there was a lot of work involved in weeks three and four--an overwhelming amount for many of our participants who continued to come, but didn't have their assignment completed for the week.
That being said, I still LOVE Beth and I will continue to do her studies, but I might have to do them on my own. Not sure I can convince my ladies' group to come along with me...at least not for a bit. They need time to recover. :)
A highlight: I LOVED the shorter videos for the in-between weeks...it allowed us to have a lot more discussion time which was perfect for session 5.

[Christine Indorf · Rating 5 out of 5]

What will I do without Beth Moore!! I learn so much about God and his Son Jesus Christ. I am so glad I did this devotion. I highly recommend it!!!

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The women in my Bible study decided to do this together over the summer. We loved it! It was challenging and convicting, but also really inspiring. I was excited each week for the new lessons. Beth Moore has you digging in the Word a lot. Because it's a book about gaining intimacy with God, each lesson (there are 5 per week) has 2 parts. First half in the Scriptures about that week's theme, the second half is guided journaling time which she encourages to really have a deep conversation with God, not her. There are short videos each week that we watched all together as we shared about how the previous week's lessons affected us. It was a great study. The five "recalibrating" questions that guide the whole study (she's all about the questions!) hit me REALLY hard. So good!

[Kristi Lowe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m not sure a bible study has ever impacted me as much as The Quest. In a world quickly depleting itself of intimacy, this study took all the questions quietly within me and reminded me that asking the questions is always ok. Why, Lord? How much longer? Where are you? Who are you?

This was a precious five weeks of mornings with the Lord, hot cups of coffee and a lazy dog at my feet. My eyes have been opened to an intimacy with Him, long desired but didn’t know how to attain. Powerful lessons on walking a life of faith on this side of heaven. Beautiful. Painful. Glorious. Worth every ounce of effort it took to be honest, and the path He has called me to walk.

[Erika Renee Lowry · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was not my favorite Bible Study, but it taught me so much about how questions are a core essential to our walk with the Lord! Questions can be a stumbling block or a tool to go deeper with Jesus.

[Laurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Quest was very different from Beth's other studies. Much more personal and intimate. It was only 6 weeks long and would be great foe a person new to bible study as well as a veteran. I loved it!

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beth Moore’s writing is distracting because she has an inconsistent tone. On one hand, she wants to be folksy. “The McGruffs over in Bethsaida” is simply silly.

On the other hand, she uses unusual vocabulary in a self-conscious way. “Think of the directive conceptually as well as literally.” Why not write, “Think of the command literally and figuratively”?

The content is disjointed. I’m not sure what quest she’d hope we’d be on. The chapters meander and her line of thought is unclear. I’m surprised that her editors didn’t help her more. It seems that she’s got some intriguing ideas that remain unexpressed.

Lastly, the author makes some unclear connections between several of the Bible passages to contemporary concerns without clarifying how she got from one thought to the other. That can be troubling because I’m left to think whether the Bible passage should even related to life in the way she writes. One glaring instance is when we are asked to read Job and then journal about body image. Huh?!

[Cheka pierce · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not one of my favorite studies. Im currently in a bible study group taking this "Journey" My group started off with about 23 something ladies and we are not down to what it seems like 12. Honestly my third week in this study i was frustrated and wanted throw the book away. But i didnt want to cause anyone else in my group to stumble. We are in our last week and i have not done anything past week 3. I just feel like this study has taken me away from the journey i was already having with God. It's all about "me me me," self centered and not God-centered. I really believe that the only reason the other ladies are still attending is because they enjoy the fellowship and its time away from home and kids.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has been the most intense Bible study I've ever done. I feel that traveling The Quest has lead me to a deeper understanding of Who God is and His purposes for my life. The nature of this study is very individual and requires commitment to complete. I'm a teacher, so in the summer I was able to keep up the pace of doing a week in a week. However, once school started, it took me nearly a week to finish the daily study. I don't consider that a negative because each day of the study had so many insights if you open yourself to God and allow Him to lead you through the study. I would recommend this to anyone who is longing to know to their savior better or if you are at a time of anguish. This study gives leads you to the hope that our Good , good Father provides for us.

[Shana OkieCozyReader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this study. It focuses on questions in the Bible - to increase your communication with God. If you are looking for a more enriched prayer life and talking with God questions, this is a great study. Beth’s studies are always a lot of work, but worth it to spend time with her!

She talks about how these 5 questions will help you find your way if you feel like you are off track... because every season of defeat is triggered by a lie.

WHERE are you? Gen 3:9
WHO told you that? Gen 3:11
WHAT are you seeking? John 1:38
WHY are you afraid? Matthew 8:26
HOW much more? Luke 11:13

It’s a beautiful quest!

[Ashleigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this guided journey thru big questions we ask God, and questions God asks us. It is not all hearts and flowers and sunshine here, and I appreciate Beth Moore for bringing a mature reality to this walk. I will go back again to what I've written in this journal, and thinking back to the questions on the quest here is useful.. this is marketed as a 6 week group study for Bible study groups. I took 6 MONTHS to go thru it as each day would take about 2 hours to do well. Also I think this is a study for mature believers who have lots of familiarity with the Bible, and is done well as a solo journaling journey.

[Shelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have loved every Bible study Beth Moore has written and finish knowing each one was hand picked by God for that specific time and place and season of my life. It’s almost impossible not to say the most recent one is my favorite one yet. This study was all that and then some! This one surprised me with its depth and scope. I will never read the Bible again without paying special attention to the questions it contains and with them the invitation God extends again and again to engage in ever growing intimacy and relationship with Him.

[Sharon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've done many, many Beth Moore Bible studies and this was my least favorite. I just wasn't able to tune in to exactly what I think she wanted. As others have said, Beth used so many big words, some that I had no idea of their meaning, and I usually don't have that problem with her studies. I can always find a few nuggets worth retaining in a study, and I will just hang on to the few I found here. Hope she goes in a different direction next study.

[Alexandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this. I don’t think I needed this AND the videos that accompany it, but I found them both helpful and easy to follow. They did make me think and evaluate my life in a different way. But I don’t know if I’d had paid for the videos.

[MD · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have no clue what I was supposed to get from this study. There was a ridiculous amount of daily work. Just put the verse in the book for me. All that searching is so time consuming.

[Karan · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most thought provoking Bible studies I have ever done.

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first Beth Moore study. It was very in-depth and Biblically based. Beth takes you through a journey to see your story through His story. There were 5 in depth questions that the study is based on
1. Where are you?
2. Who told you that?
3. What are you seeking?
4. Why are you afraid?
5. How much more?

I think as Christians we are told and often believe that we should not question God, but this study shows throughout Biblical history, many have asked questions, and God encourages it. It helps us draw closer to Him. We may not always get answers, but He is always open to our questions if we come humbly before Him.

As I journeyed through this study, really being open to my own story and history, I was better able to see where God has worked and is working throughout my life. It's not always easy to look back and re-walk through your past. This study does make you do that, but only to the degree you are comfortable with. For me, it brings freedom and joy knowing I have never been alone, God has always been beside me, even in my darkest valleys when I could not see Him. He has always had a plan for my life. I highly recommend this study!

[Kara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not your typical knowledge based Beth Moore study. More journaling and questioning. It was good, but not what I usually gain from her amazing studies.

[Sonja · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this study. Unlike most of Beth Moore's studies, this one doesn't focus on a specific book or person in the Bible but focuses on you.

I really loved the reminder that the Bible is full of questions; humans ask questions, God asks questions, and we should be asking questions too.

Personally, I would recommend this study to men and women even though it's mostly designed as a women's bible study.

My most important take away? "Who told you that?" Making sure you know who told you the things that you believe about yourself and that you believe about your faith. Then making sure those things came from a reliable source like God.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a hard study to rate because I did it on a more compressed schedule than normal (five days of homework a week as intended instead of split between two weeks). It's possible this affected my overall opinion.

I believe Beth said the homework was supposed to take 30-45 minutes per day. I write slowly, so it typically took me 45 minutes to an hour or more to complete, and that was without any of the prayer time I know I was supposed to be working into it. I'm a busy mom of four kids which meant that instead of savoring the questions and that time with God, I was constantly pushing to just finish. It was very disheartening.

This study found me in a difficult place and, unfortunately, working through it didn't provide any brilliant answers. Maybe it's the study, maybe it's me. I don't know. I do know that Beth Moore is a wonderful, gifted Bible study teacher and she writes beautifully, but sometimes I find myself wishing she would write more plainly. Scripture is hard enough to understand sometimes without wondering if I'm interpreting the interpretation correctly.

Also of note: I really wish whoever does spacing for these studies would actually answer the questions before they determine said spacing. I routinely found my answers spilling into the margins (top, bottom, and sides) because there wasn't enough space to write them where intended (eg. Five lines to write five complete verses in Psalms is not nearly enough!). Add that to the fact that there were plenty of times where we were given a huge amount of space for a brief, one or two-word answer and, well, it's frustrating.

Bottom line: Not a bad study, but not life-changing either.

[Rhoda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This might very well be my last Beth Moore Bible study. I remember reading her book on King David and loving it, but this was a different experience. The Quest takes the reader on a journey through various questions in the Bible as well as various stories. It seemed to jump around quite a bit. Sometimes, I wasn't sure what the author's main intention was in including certain things.

In addition, the major detriment to this study was the vocabulary the author used. There were too many descriptions, to the point where it was unnecessary. Some of the words I'd never even heard before, and this was really irritating to me. Usually, I'm fine with this in reading - learning new words is great. It wasn't something that helped this study.

I definitely would not encourage a new believer to try this study. Also, this is not the best thing for a group. I can see how this could be discouraging for people, who might feel like they're not smart enough because of the suthor's choice of wording and vocabulary. It isn't your fault, and you're certainly not dumb. She conceals the message by doing too much. I thought some of the sentences were awkwardly worded and had to read them several times to figure out what the author was saying. Some of the studies felt so LONG. You think you've reached the end, turn the page and go ....... I've got x more pages!

Overall: while I did get some things from this, the author's style was a major detriment. It is too easy to hide a powerful message with the wrong choice of wording and sentence structure. I think this was the case here.

[Beth Burdine · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars
I love Beth Moore but this study fell short for me. It was very hard to follow. The first week includes 5 calibrating questions for the quest but instead of being the anchor throughout the study, they weren’t brought up again until week 5. Each week was also very disjointed with no connecting theme. Even within each day’s material it bounced between different scriptures where the connection wasn’t explained. With the prompts I sometimes struggled to figure out exactly what she was asking for. It was also very frustrating to fill out the prompts and questions because the spacing made absolutely no sense. I’ve never seen a workbook with so little attention to the space it takes to answer. There would be a statement that required no response and you were given a half a page of blank lines and then there would be a teeny tiny space of two lines to write four Bible verses.
This study did have some good material but the frustrations of not seeing the connections and not having adequate space for prompts really took away from the purpose of the study. If you’re looking at Bible studies for yourself or a group, I would recommend a different Beth Moore study.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful Bible study from Beth Moore! There are many great insights along with an emphasis on Scripture and knowing and experiencing God. Each Beth Moore study contains treasures like the 7 divine graces she lists in this one in the last "week" of homework. It's a bit different from most of her other ones - the DVD sessions are sparse (except for the first and last ones). As usual, our group does these studies at "half pace" - we take two weeks for each week's suggested homework. Much more reflective pace and gives us time to discuss. We meet for 2 hours each week and this is a good pace for our format of (approximately) 15 minutes casual conversations, 10 minutes worship in song, 1 hour discussion, 15 minutes DVD, 20 minutes prayer groups.

[Sharriette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every Beth Moore Bible Study I've done has been good. This was no exception, though different from the others. As the title says, this is more of a Quest than a study. Although it is good to have a Bible leader and teacher, we need to be comfortable with going to God on our own. This Quest encourages the seeker to do that. Unlike other Beth Moore studies, it is not necessary to attend every session. (I did for discipline-sake.) For this one, it is really only necessary to attend the first and last sessions. Everything in the middle is between the seeker and Jesus.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Beth for writing this and taking me on this quest.... It came at the right time in my life and has impacted me so much-- I did this with a Women's group in a 6 week sessions-- but I quickly realized that I needed to slow down my pace on the homework to take my time and savor each day--
to reflect, poor my heart out to God, learn and grow.... While I'm officially finished with The Quest, I feel that my quest is far from over.

[Lori Galaske · Rating 3 out of 5]

So. Much. Homework. I enjoy Beth Moore's teaching videos, but for a study, I prefer more open-ended questions that make me think. It's been a few years since I've done one of her studies, and I'd forgotten how leading her questions are - with only one correct answer. While there is a place for this, It's not my favorite. Her message is very good, as is true of everything I've ever heard from her.

[Faith · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my first Beth Moore study and I have to say she is extremely wordy. There are A LOT of gems throughout the book, but it's like hacking away at really thick brush to get there. I grew with this study in certain ways and in other ways I'm more confused. Overall, it was good, but challenging. If you don't mind wordiness and want a deep study, this will be great for you. If you don't care for wordiness but still want an incredibly deep study, head on over to the Priscilla Shirer section.

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

We loved it, but I think this study is best done on your own or in a very small group. We started with 3, 2 finished. Simply because of the volume of work. It requires a lot of one on one with God. A lot of personal reflection that you may not want to share with a larger group. We discussed the concepts when we meet not the particulars. Be prepared for a lot of in depth study. It took us 8 weeks instead of 6.

[Veronica Foley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the parts Beth wrote but I wasn't a fan of the assignment-like style she used in the book. The fill in the blanks seemed a little juvenile and I would have preferred more journaling. I also am not a fan of Bible Studies that have you reference the Bible instead of putting the verses themselves in the book. I don't like flipping back and forth. Otherwise, she is fantastic. She has such thought-provoking things to say and I really like her concepts.

[Christian Russell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the content of the videos and the overall message. I was not a fan of the book it was very wordy to the point of annoying. I think if it was cut back a little it would have been so much better. It was a very deep study and very introspective. I learned a lot and over all enjoyed the study.