“Lectio Divina”
Unhurried Communion with God through Scripture reading
Have you ever been in a room full of people and encountered the Lord in an individual, personal way?
When I was a freshman in college, we had something on my dorm floor called SHIFT. Those 10pm meetings on Wednesday nights were intended to help first year students grow in their faith, while establishing connection with their dorm floor. It was one of those meetings, where I was sitting cross-legged in a circle surrounded by girls I had just met two months prior, that we learned a method of studying scripture that not only was new to me, but now has become one of the most used practices in my spiritual life. A practice you can do in a room by yourself or a room full of people, Lectio Divina has helped me grow closer to the Lord and become unhurried in joining in His presence.
Lectio Divina is Latin for “divine reading,” “spiritual reading,” or “holy reading.” Lectio Divina is intended to promote communion with God and provide spiritual insight. This has been a popular practice in the Catholic Church and has more recently become more accepted in the evangelical church, bringing it to my small Bible study.
I struggled my freshman year, going through the transition of moving away from home, starting college, making new friends, and leaving the ones I had known forever. A passage I kept that I found myself coming back to as I grew closer to Him was John 15:1-11 – The Vine and the Branches. As we go through the different parts of Lectio Divina, this will be the passage that I will use an example.
1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.2He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.3You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.4Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.6If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.8This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.10If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.11I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.
Before you begin this spiritual practice, find a space where you can engage with scripture without worrying about distractions. When I first tried it with my SHIFT group, we each had a quiet space in the room with our Bibles and I had my notebook in order to take notes. Take deep breaths and prepare your heart to receive what the Lord has for you. I remember this part used to be hard for me, my mind always raced and I wanted to just jump to reading quickly. What has helped me is closing my eyes, breathing deep, and asking the Lord: what do you have for me in this scripture? These things all help me to clear my head and become ready for the scripture. “Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law” - Psalm 119:18
Lectio: Once your heart is prepared, the first step is Lectio. Read the passage slowly many times. If you are able, it may be helpful to read out loud. While you are reading, note if any of these stick out to you.
A word
A phrase
An image or a moments
Read through the passage as many times as it takes to receive one of these from the Lord. For me, verse 5 stuck with me. 5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
Meditatio: The next step of this process is Meditatio. Reflect on the passage through prayer and meditation. Think about how the passage may relate to your life, and specifically the word, phrase, image, or moment that the Lord has highlighted. Be intentional in asking questions of Him such as:
Why did you highlight _____?
What part of this passage relates to my life right now?
What feelings and emotions come up when I read through this passage?
This may take time, and that is okay, and designed so on purpose. When we did this with my SHIFT group, we kept the room silent so each person could encounter God without distractions. Pay attention to how you are feeling and how the Lord communicates with you.
Oratio: After this, the next step is Oratio. Respond to the passage through prayer and speaking to the Lord through your heart. This is the part where you take what the Lord has been speaking to you and speak back. This could happen in a few different ways:
Thank Him
Ask for help
Tell Him that you are here and want to engage more with Him
When I engage in Lectio Divina, this is the part of the process where I like to take out my journal or write in the margins of my Bible. I find it helpful to place all of my thoughts in one space, and also be able to look back later to see how the Lord is continuously revealing more of Himself to me and continuously answering prayers.
Contemplatio: Next, Contemplatio. Contemplating on all that was learned. This involves just existing. Use this time to sit in silence, rest in what you have learned, and just exist in the presence of the one true King. This should create peace and comfort in your heart and mind. All expected of you in this step is communion with God.
Actio: The last step of Lectio Divina is Actio. Live it through action. Before you close the Bible and your time with God, ask: What small invitation is God giving me today? As I read through the passage in John, the Lord called me to pursue a deeper relationship with Him, remaining in Him through every new season of my life. Let the Lord reveal a way to take what you have learned and apply it to the life that you have been given.
I have always enjoyed reading scripture and learning about the Kingdom of God and my part in it, but I used to struggle with having a personal connection with the Lord. Sitting on the floor of my RAs room, my classmates around me, and my Bible opened to one page opened a door for me to truly connect with Him through scripture. There are many important ways to read scripture, seriously studying and being responsible in learning. Lectio Divina is a practice that should not replace those things, but enhance communion with and worship of God.
Now that we have gone through the different steps of Lectio Divina, I encourage you to create space for this practice in your own spiritual journey. The scripture of John 15:1-11 was a scripture that was particularly formative in my life, but you can practice with any piece of scripture. I also am quite fond of an app called Lectio 365 (not a promo I promise!) that has 7-12 minutes of Lectio Divina practice 3 times daily, focusing on rhythm, prayer, and purpose in the word.
How can you listen and respond to what the Lord is revealing to you in scripture?
