Accepting The Embrace of God : The Ancient Art of Lectio Divina

Do you believe that God can talk to you? I do ...

Recently, I attended a bible study group where we learnt about "Lectio Divina" which is an ancient monastic method of reading the Scriptures. Latin for "Divine Reading" or "Praying the Scriptures", Lectio Divina is a quiet and contemplative way of coming to Gods Word in which the participant allows the rhythm of Scripture to wash over them as they meditate upon the passage. The process involves 5 steps and the first step is to select a passage of scripture or ask God to reveal a passage to you which you can meditate on.

I want to share how powerful God is, even when we don't understand His ways at the time.

Initially, when we undertook this process during the study, I chose a passage from Matthew or Mark, I forget which now but in the initial quiet time, I asked God to reveal to me anything that He wanted me to know and meditate on ... and a specific passage came into my head as clearly as if someone had spoken to me audibly - James 4:11

I had no idea what the passage was about but I thought to myself, well, I better check this out:

"11 Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. 12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you - who are you to judge your neighbour?" (James 4:11-12)

Now you may be wondering why I've written this entry and what relevance it has ... the point is this ... at the time, I had no idea why God was revealing this passage to me, because I did not feel particularly judged by others and I also didn't feel guilty of being particularly judgmental of others. That's not to say that I am not guilty of this sin at times in my life or that I'm free of the judgment of others either.

Anyway, as we continued to work through our individual passages using the steps of Lectio Divina, I believe God had this message, which I want to share.

"Be careful and mindful of what you are thinking and saying about others, even if it remains in your own thoughts and headspace because you have no right to judge, only God has the right to judge. He knows your thoughts and the words you say before you utter them from your mouth. When you do these things, you are breaking God's law - be warned. Repent of all judgment of others and seek God's forgiveness for judging His laws. When you are free of judgment, then you can receive acceptance in your heart for things that are not meant for you."

As mentioned, at the time, I did not understand why God would reveal this to me and I felt convicted that perhaps there was some area in my life that I needed to review closely. However, in this past week, I have experienced judgment over my life which has been painful and upsetting. I have sought God's forgiveness and release from this judgment and the strength to rise above living in judgment of others, because I now know why God gave me this verse in the first place. I remain in awe of how God can speak to me through his Word even weeks before a time when I actually need to be guided by a specific passage in relation to a very real situation.

My prayer is that God will speak to you through his Word and that your life will be transformed ... and for those that wish to know more about this amazing way to connect with God ... read on about the steps to Lectio Divina

Method
Lectio is typically practiced daily for one continuous hour. A selection from the Holy Scriptures is chosen ahead of time, often as a daily progression through a particular book of the Bible.

Time
Selecting a time for lectio divina is important. Typical methods are to pray for one hour in the morning, or to divide it into two half-hour periods, one in the morning and one in the evening. The key is to pre-select the time that will be devoted to the prayer, and to keep it. Using the same time every day leads to a daily habit of prayer that becomes highly effective.

Place
The place for prayer is to be free from distractions. This means it should be isolated from other people, telephones, visual distractions, etc. The same place should be used for lectio if possible, especially as one first begins to practice it. Familiarity with a location reduces the possibility of distraction away from the prayer.

Preparation
Prior to reading, it is important to engage in a transitional activity that takes one from the normal state of mind to a more contemplative and prayerful state. A few moments of deep, regular breathing and a short prayer inviting the Holy Spirit to guide the prayer time helps to set the tone and improve the effectiveness of the lectio.

Once the stage is set it is time to begin the prayer. There are four phases of the prayer, which do not necessarily progress in an ordered fashion. One may move between different phases of the prayer very freely as the Spirit guides.

The Four Moments

Lectio
Read the passage slowly several times.

Meditatio
Reflect on the text of the passage, thinking about how to apply to one's own life. Gravitate to any particular phrase or word that seems to be of particular importance. This should not be confused with exegesis, but is a very personal reading of the Scripture and application to one's own life.

Oratio
Respond to the passage by opening the heart to God. This is not primarily an intellectual exercise, but more of the beginning of a conversation with God.

Contemplatio
Listen to God. This is a freeing oneself from one's own thoughts, both mundane and holy. It is about hearing God talk to us. Opening our mind, heart and soul to the influence of God. Any conversation must allow for both sides to communicate, and this most unfamiliar act is allowing oneself to be open to hearing God speak.

Further reading: http://www.valyermo.com/ld-art.html

May God Bless you and may you know Him in a deeper way through Lectio Divina.