Lectio Divina

As a part of my day of solitude and prayer yesterday, I read the book Divine Intervention by Tony Jones. The book is about "encountering God through the ancient practice of lectio divina."

I was already somewhat familiar with lectio divina before I read this book, but I had never practiced it before and I had never been quite sure what to make of it. When I saw this book on the shelf I decided to pick it up. It seemed interesting. Plus - it was super short and you've got to love that.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with what this is let me briefly explain it as Jones does in his book.

Basically, lectio divina is an ancient method of prayer. It means "sacred reading." There are four steps: Lectio (a selection or reading from the Bible), Meditatio (thinking over or meditation), Oratio (speaking or praying), and Contemplatio (contemplation).

Each step is actually a bit more detailed. But, that's the super simplified version. The bottom line is that it's a way to read God's Word, pray, and hear from God.

After reading the book, I decided to try out lectio divina for myself. It was actually pretty cool. I have to admit, it does seem like a good way to focus on God's Word and to clear your mind of distractions that many times drown out God's voice and what He's trying to say to you.

The only thing that bothers me is the fact that my entire knowledge of lectio divina comes from a newer book that is 100 pages long. I'm sure there are tons of things written about this practice that shed light on it in a whole new way. I'll have to dive into it more to see what I really think.

But, at this point, I am glad to have God open my eyes to some important scripture yesterday and for Him to speak to me through it. No matter what "method" of prayer or Bible study you use, I hope you find your time with God as rewarding/challenging as I always do.