Lectio Divina

In Public Speaking I gave a how-to speech on the spiritual discipline of lectio divina. It is a spiritual discipline that trained me to hear the voice of God in my daily life. God, coming through the discipline, has changed me, molded me, and spoken to me on so many different levels, and He continues to do so to this day. It was my pleasure and joy to share this with the class, especially when I had some friends who were suffering and could definitely use God's clear voice in their lives.

There are 6-8 steps of lectio divina as practiced by the Benedictine monks, but Eugene Peterson simplified it into four easy steps for the laymen (like myself): Read, Think, Pray, and Live. David Crowder does a wonderful discourse on lectio divina in his book, Praise Habit. I wrote an essay on it for English a few weeks back and it's on a new blog of mine, just for posting my college essays and such, and you can check it out here. I really encourage you to look at it and give it a whirl, try it on for size. The discipline is beautiful because it lets the Eternal Beauty come to us and speak to us. Here's a small overview if you're pressed for time:

Read. We read the scriptures in a pre-modern lens. We don't look for principles, theories, or three-step answers to our questions. We read it in a meditative and devotional light. We select a passage (I prefer the psalms) and meditate upon it, letting the words come to us, letting the Spirit pierce us with emotions, feelings, thoughts and concerns.

Think. We dwell on the piercing acts of the Spirit. We dive into introspective contemplation and dwell on what is being felt and experienced. The question that we try to answer, the question at the forefront of our minds, is, "What is the Spirit saying to me?" Since we cannot adequately answer the question, we go to the One who can and does.

Pray. We ask the Spirit to reveal what He is saying to us. We pray for understanding. This is a conversational prayer, and our major role is simply to listen to what the Spirit is telling us.

Live. This is oftentimes the hardest part of lectio divina. It is tempting to listen to the voice of God, hear His words, and then go on through life completely forgetting them. It's easy because a lot of times, what the Spirit tells us isn't exactly something we want to hear. But we must act on what the Spirit reveals to us. It is so very important.

The point of lectio divina is not us, it is God. The process of lectio divina is useless; it is God coming through the discipline who transforms us, molds us, speaks to us. The first practice of this discipline may seem unfruitful, for we are not naturally inclined to hear the voice of God. It takes work and patience. Sometimes the discipline can take as few as ten minutes, but sometimes it will take even several hours! But this discipline is so very rewarding and a huge part of my spirituality.