INVITATIONS FROM GOD
“Speak Lord, your servant is listening.” [1 Sam 3:10]
” He who has ears to hear, let him hear. [Mark 4:9]
” Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. {Isaiah 55:2}
PURPOSE
- This prayerful reading of Scripture is complimentary to Bible Study, but meant to be an experience of receiving words from God in the here and now.
- Lectio Divina, which means Sacred Reading, or Reading aloud.
PRACTICE
- Locate a Quiet spot and Pray: It is so important that you stay away from any form of physical distractions. Though we will not also ignore the distractions within us also{our mind}. Pray ” Lord Jesus Christ speak to me”
- Read: In silence read the passage slowly, asking the Lord to reveal what you need to understand and experience. Read at least twice. Pay attention to the word or phrase that grabs you. In silence, allow God to use that word or phrase to speak to your heart.
- Meditate: Do not try to figure out the whole passage, enjoy and savor what God is saying to you. What is the word or phrase stirring up in your heart? Write down your ideas. When the angel of God told Mary, the mother of Jesus , she would become the mother of the Messiah through a miraculous conception, she “pondered” what she had been told { Luke 2:19}. Pondering is stopping, considering, and exploring the meaning in a deeper fashion.
- Respond: Pray the scripture you just read and ask God to illuminate the verses that are just for you. Ask that the word of God will become alive in and through you.
- Contemplate: Just sit still in the presence of the one and only living God and allow His word to bring transformation. Just sit still for a while.
I know time of silence can be hard for some people but that where pray and discipline comes in. Take it one step at a time.