Home
>
Spirituality
>
Lectio Divina -- Reading the Bible for Spiritual Growth

Lectio Divina -- Reading the Bible for Spiritual Growth

Lectio divina is a very useful and practical discipline for spiritual growth. Rooted in ancient monasticism, the practice is a fourfold cycle: Reading, Meditation, Prayer, and Contemplation. In fact, the term itself means "sacred reading."

Reading. Lectio divina begins with a "text," whether that is the Bible, a spiritual classic, something in nature, or even another person. You must "take up and read." But the reading is not done to acquire knowledge or information, to master the text. Reading is done slowly, focusing on words and connections. In lectio divina, we are seeking to let the text master us.

I read through the Bible, a practice known as lectio continua, during my devotional times. I used to read for information, and to get through a certain amount (say, four chapters every day), but now I read slowly, taking at most a chapter each day. As I read, I listen for how the Word of God is addressing me.

Meditation. Meditation is focused thought. In lectio divina, we are neither letting our mind run wild with thoughts nor letting it empty of all thoughts. Instead, we concentrate our focus on the words of the text, thinking about each one. Let each word resonate within you.

Think of the meditation phase as though it were tea steeping. You are the hot water, and the tea bag is the Bible. As the tea bag steeps (reading), flavor is diffused throughout the hot water. This is meditation. It is the slow, simmering period where we digest the text and gain insight.

Prayer. The prayer phase takes the fruit of our meditation and offers it back to God. Perhaps a text led us to joy because of the gifts of God, or maybe a passage exposed sin in our lives and the need for repentance. Prayer is when we offer these insights back to God.

Contemplation. Contemplation is the act of sitting in the presence of God with total attention and concentration on God. After a time of prayer, we just sit with God.

If you preach or teach, you should use lectio divina as part of your preparation. Sit with the text away from analysis and exegesis, and let God speak to you through his word. A sermon or class could follow this four-part cycle.

For a sermon, the preacher could read the passage, describe the paths he or she explored during meditation and the insights found, and offer a prayer to God based on the meditation. After, there could be a congregational period of silence for contemplation.

When I teach, I often use lectio divina as an outline. I read the passage from my Bible and ask two or three others to read the same passage, but from different translations. Then I help the class to "meditate": I ask what words or images struck them from the reading, what they noticed or didn't noticed, what feelings they had as they read, or what was most surprising in the text. We follow these threads, learning from each other, and then conclude with prayer.

Lectio divina is a very helpful discipline for spiritual growth. If the reader practices lectio divina often, she will begin to plumb the depths of her soul and her relationship with God. The single greatest facet of lectio divina is its ability to create a mindset that can actually listen to and for God.

Jeremy M. Hoover is a part-time minister and writes full-time in Windsor, Ontario. visit his website to learn how he supports his writing with an online business. Read more of Jeremy's writing at his blog, visit his website

disinfecting cleaning services Winnetka ..

In The News:

Scammers are sending fake MetaMask wallet verification emails using official branding to steal crypto information through phishing links and fraudulent domains.

Learn what background permissions, push notifications, security updates, auto-join networks and app refresh mean to better manage your phone's privacy settings.

Criminals test stolen data by applying for deposit accounts in victims' names to prepare bigger attacks. Learn why banks won't share fraud details.

New study of 10,500+ kids reveals early smartphone ownership linked to depression, obesity, and poor sleep by age 12. Earlier phones mean higher risks.

A phone phishing attack compromised Harvard's alumni and donor database, marking the second security incident at the university in recent months.

AutoFlight's zero-carbon floating vertiport uses solar power to charge eVTOL aircraft while supporting emergency response, tourism, and marine energy maintenance.

A new phone return scam targets recent buyers with fake carrier calls. Learn how criminals steal devices and steps to protect yourself from this fraud.

New Anthropic research reveals how AI reward hacking leads to dangerous behaviors, including models giving harmful advice like drinking bleach to users seeking help.

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

Holiday email scams, including non-delivery fraud and gift card schemes, spike in November and December, costing victims hundreds of millions, the FBI says.

Holiday visits offer the perfect opportunity to help older parents with technology updates, scam protection and basic troubleshooting skills for safer digital experiences.

Swiss scientists create grain-sized robot that surgeons control with magnets to deliver medicine precisely through blood vessels in medical breakthrough.

Researchers exploited WhatsApp's API vulnerability to scrape 3.5 billion phone numbers. Learn how this massive data breach happened and protect yourself.

Travel companies share passenger data with third parties during holidays, but travelers can protect themselves by removing data from broker sites and using aliases.

Xpeng's humanoid robot moves so realistically that crowds believed it was fake, marking a major advancement in robotics technology ahead of 2026 commercial launch.

Researchers discover phishing scam using invisible characters to evade email security, with protection tips including password managers and two-factor authentication.

iPhone and Android users can reduce battery drain and data usage by restricting Background App Refresh to Wi-Fi connections instead of mobile networks.

Scammers nearly stole an Apple account by exploiting the support system with authentic-looking tickets and phone calls, users can protect themselves with safety steps.

FoloToy restored sales of its AI teddy bear Kumma after a weeklong suspension following safety group findings of risky and inappropriate responses to children.

Threat intelligence firm Synthient uncovers one of the largest password exposures ever, prompting immediate security recommendations.

Viral video shared by Elon Musk shows Tesla's Optimus humanoid robots performing tasks from cooking to construction, garnering over 58.5 million views on social media.

Chinese hackers used Anthropic's Claude AI to launch autonomous cyberattacks on 30 organizations worldwide, marking a major shift in cybersecurity threats.

Apple's new Sleep Score feature gives you a rating for your nightly rest quality. Learn how to set it up on your Apple Watch and iPhone today.

Essential phone settings to enable before losing your device, including Find My network, location services and security features for iPhone and Android.

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

Lectio Divina -- Reading the Bible for Spiritual Growth

Spirituality