 Lectio Divina (Praying with the Bible)
Lectio Divina is one of the oldest forms of Christian prayer. Patterned after the Jewish use of the Psalms, and early church worship, Lectio Divina, or the sacred reading of Scripture has been a part of Christian prayer since its beginning. It was incorporated into daily prayer practice by the monasteries of the 3rd and 4th century, and by the time of St. Benedict (480-543), it was standard practice for all monks – and encouraged for all Christians.
Lectio Divina is simply the divine reading of scripture.
One reads, meditates, prays, and then attempts to live out what the scripture has said to them, in essence, this type of prayer is a way of living out David’s words when he said, “I have hid your word in my heart that I might not sin against you,” and “a righteous man meditates on the word of God day and night.” The following structure provides a basic format for praying the Scriptures.
Step 1: Silence
We are silent before God in preparation to hear from his word. We calm ourselves from the daily routine and focus our attention on God.
Step 2: Read
The word is spoken or read and we carefully listen to it. This is often done best if we hear the scriptures aloud, and the passage should not be too long.
Step 3: Meditate
We prayerfully reflect on the Words or Word that God is impressing upon our hearts. We repeat a phase or word from the text that seems to be “speaking” to us.
Step 4: Pray
We pray and give thanks for God’s word to us. We respond to God’s love with a request that we might be enabled to receive and live out his word in our lives.
Step 5: Contemplate
We reflect on our Lectio experience and we allow the word of God to settle into our hearts. We focus on being what the Word says, more than thinking or doing. We rest in God’s presence, or wait on God.
Step 6: Live:
We go from our Lectio prayer time and live out the Word of God.
Some examples of Lectio in Scripture:
Jesus, on the cross, prayed Psalm 22 (Matt 27:46; John 19:28, 30)
The early Church gathered to read and sing Scripture (Col 3:16)
Almost every psalm in the Bible, as well as a number of Canticles (songs from other books in the Bible) were used regularly in Worship by the 3rd century B.C. in Jewish worship and prayer.
While Lectio is a solitary experience, it is best lived out in the community of believers. I.e. if you think that God is speaking to you through his word, it is better to talk to other Christians about it. If not, one might be in danger of hearing the “wrong” voice during prayer time and could use Lectio to justify their personal desires or agenda, i.e. “God told me to do it!” (1 Cor 14:26-33).
If you want to practice this type of prayer, there is a fantastic website dedicated to praying and meditating on the Bible, just click on the web link below and you will be directed to Sacredspace.com, a wonderful site run by Jesuit priests in Ireland. Reading through their daily prayer takes about 10 minutes so please, give it a try.
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