to read out loud as this not only slows down the reading process but it also helps you understand and appreciate the emotional tone of the text. As you read the text listen for a word, phrase or an idea that speaks to you. Then sit in silence for two or three minutes.
When a word or phrase comes to mind, slowly repeat it to yourself and allow it to interact with your own thoughts and ideas. Allow this meditation to lead you into a deeper dialogue with God.
In your dialogue with God speak to him even as he has spoken to you. In other words you give to him what you have discovered during your experience of meditation. This is the basis of your prayer. But allow your prayer to come from the depth of your heart and be careful not to intellectualize this experience.
Finally you rest in God. You enter into the presence of God and simply wait. This is a state of being not a state of doing, whereby we simply enjoy God.
Practical Suggestions
Ken Boa has offered some very helpful and practical suggestions to enable each participant in holy reading to move through the four stages with relative ease.(1)
Lectio:
• Choose a place that is inviting and where you will not be distracted.
• Be systematic in your reading. Some will work through an entire book, while others will use the lectionary as a guide.
• Avoid using a bible with study notes. These notes tend to be distracting.
• Do not read long passages of scripture. In your reading you want to read slowly and repeatedly as you allow the word of God to move into the depth of your being.
• Remember, in lectio you are seeking to be ‘shaped by the word of God’ rather than just ‘gaining information about the word of God’.
Medatio:
• Read the text slowly; remember you are not in a rush.
• Try to engage as much as possible your five senses as you meditate upon the text. Some passages in the Bible enable this process more readily than others. For example Psalm 1 speaks about one who mediates upon the word of God and compares the outcome to a tree planted by rivers of water. It is quite easy to see this picture.
• Some find it helpful to keep a journal and to write down their thoughts. During meditation this has two benefits. First it helps to keep your mind from wandering, and second it enables you to come back to the text at a later date and re-read what God was saying to you in the process.
• Continue to practice meditation; it is not a one off experience. As you become more familiar with this discipline you will discover great benefits.
Oratio:
• Take time to pray. Many are intrigued by the reading but do not leave enough time to pray.
• As God has spoken to you through the scriptures your prayer will be in response to what God has said. Thus the prayer will differ according to the work of God’s spirit. The prayer may be one of confession, or thanksgiving, or petition or adoration.
• In your prayer speak as one who speaks to a friend.
Contemplatio:
• Don’t be concerned about what to do. Simply rest in the presence of God.
• Try to recall what God has spoken into your heart during the meditation and repeat this to yourself.
• If you are an extrovert recognize this is going to be a stretch for you. Keep at it.
The Process of Group Lectio
This is a basic outline of ‘holy reading’ you may choose to use in a group setting. In this context there will be an appointed reader who will read the passage for the group and who will instruct the group when to move at the appropriate time to the next step in the process. The reader should try to participate as fully as possible in the exercise although this may be a bit difficult for a novice leader.
1. Listen to the Word of God
1. Prepare yourself by sitting in silence for a few minutes
2. Read the passage out loud
3. Listen for a word or phrase that catches your attention
4. Say the word over and over in your mind.
5. Remain silent for 2-3 minutes following the reading.
2. Ask: “How is my Life Touched by this word of God?”
1. Read the passage a second time.
2. After the reading sit in silence and meditate upon this question.
3. After 2-3 minutes of silence go around the group and briefly share the connection between the phrase or word and their life.
3. Ask: “What Does God want me to do?”
1. Read the passage a third time.
2. After the reading sit in silence and meditate upon the question.
3. After 2-3 minutes of silence go around the group and briefly share what you think God wants you to do in response.
4. Pray for Each Other to be Able to Respond to God’s Invitation
1. Pray for the person beside you.
2. Pray according to what God has spoken into their life.
5. Rest in God
1. When everyone has prayed the group enters a time if silence just to savour what God has done and to enjoy His presence. Resist the desire to talk.
2. After an appropriate time of silence the leader will offer a closing prayer.
Exercises
This week there will be an opportunity to spend fifteen to thirty minutes a day in holy reading. It is important to remember that this discipline is learned by repetition; therefore you are encouraged to do this on a regular basis.
The following guidelines are offered to assist you in this exercise if you are doing it on your own.
1. Preparation: You need to prepare for this exercise by sitting quietly and offering this time to God. Invite the Lord into this place and ask him to make himself known to you through his word.
2. Reading: Read the text out loud and listen for a word or an idea that resonates with you. Say it over and over in your mind or out loud.
3. Meditation: When a word or phrase resonates with you turn it over and over in your mind. How does it speak into your life?
4. Pray: As God speaks to you through the scripture pray this back to Him. Do not censor your prayer, that is, speaking what you think God would want you to say rather than speaking what is in your heart. Speak plainly and directly from your heart.
5. Contemplate: When you have completed the prayer sit silently before God. Enjoy His presence and rest in Him.
6. Journal: When you have completed the period of contemplation write in your journal any thoughts that you need to keep as a reminder of God’s word to you. Offer a prayer of thanksgiving as you leave this space.
Security in My Relationship with God
DAY 1: John 10:7-15
What truth did God speak into your life today? ___________