Lectio Divina :: How it works

Brief description by Dr. Craig Babb

Welcome to Morning Prayer!  This guide is to help you understand how and some of why we do Morning Prayer in this particular manner.  Until you practice this style several times it may feel awkward and confusing, but remember it felt that way for all of us at first!

One of the most important things to remember about this experience is that while we utilize the Scriptures as a means for listening for God’s voice, we are not doing Bible study.  We are not seeking to engage in the spiritual discipline of extracting from the Scriptures truths about God.  We highly value this ancient practice and engage in it as the Lord gives us opportunity.  But our time together is spent listening for God’s voice through a devotional style of attending to the text before us.  In this style we are allowing God’s Spirit to extract out of us information He wants us to know or be aware of as He leads us through the day.

We do this devotional style of reading by an adaptation of the ancient Christian discipline of Lectio Divina.  This practice was first introduced as a private exercise, but since we gather together as a group we have modified the practice somewhat.  We will begin and end the time using liturgical prayers from the Northumbria Community.  Then the text will be read/prayed out loud three different times.  Each participant will listen or follow along in their Bibles for a particular emphasis during each reading.

A time of silence will be given between each reading as participants sit quietly reflecting and listening in response.  Most take this time to write in their journal responses to each reading.  Following the time of silence, opportunity is given for each person to verbalize their response.  At no time is anyone required to speak.  If the participant chooses not to say anything, they simply respond by saying, “pass.”  At no time is anyone allowed to respond, criticize, alter or add to another’s response.

During the first reading, listen for a particular word or short phrase that catches your attention.  Do not try to manufacture the “correct” or most impressive or theologically significant word or phrase.  The word or phrase may mean nothing in particular to you or even be a significant part of the test.  We believe God gives to us little gifts each morning for us.  Sit with the word or phrase and pray it back silently to the Lord.  When the leader calls for response, take turns simply sharing you gift, no explanation is required.

During the second reading you will be invited to listen for how the text creates a particular emotional response from you.  This is the most difficult of the three listening exercises. Emotions are the flip side to our thoughts and so you may be asked to clarify your emotion if you are only identifying your thoughts about the text.  Use the quick guide of emotion words that is available to help you start to identify your emotion.  If you are not used to this process begin practicing by using your imagination to identify an emotional response from someone associated within the text.  We believe that the Spirit does a significant work of clarifying, convicting, and healing by bringing to the surface these emotions.  When you are invited to share you will have the opportunity in a few sentences to describe your emotion, or you may say, “pass.”

In the final reading you are invited to listen for a particular word from the Lord or invitation He may be giving you for today.  By “today” we mean either as: a response to something that happened yesterday or to something that involves the day ahead of you.  Many times we find the Lord has us in a “season” in which our invitations take on a repeated theme and may not necessarily be specific to the day’s activities.  A good place to begin discerning this invitation is to go back to your word or phrase and to consider again your emotion.  These often become valuable tools in discerning God’s voice in this style of listening for God’s voice to you.  Again time will be given for you to share your response or you may say, “pass.”