Are you looking for a more devotional approach to Scripture – one that focuses on contemplation and spiritual formation? Here’s a shout-out for Discovering Lectio Divina: Bringing Scripture into Ordinary Life by James C. Wilhoit and Evan B. Howard … 
Discovering Lectio Divina is a great read if you’re looking for a fresh engagement with the Word, to grow in faith, and to experience more of God. To titillate your curiosity, here are some selected quotes:
The practice of the devotional reading of Scripture … is to employ the Scriptures as a doorway into transforming intimacy.
Lectio Divina… engages the human dimension with the Word and the Spirit of God. We bring ourselves to the text: eyes, questions, circumstances, heart – all of us. We watch as we read, noticing how the reading process is shaped by the Spirit. And we allow the Scripture to soak into us and reprogram our heart, changing the very concerns and ideas that control our beliefs and feelings.
Lectio Divina is the reading of a lover: the relaxed waiting that is as attentive to the relationship as it is to the text.
The emphasis in Scripture is on satisfying our thirst rather than trying to satiate it or deny it.
The Bible is not all sweetness … it offers both a sweet and bitter word.
With regard to the reading of Scripture, we long to have our association with “sacred text” lead to a more “sacred life.”
Biblical meditation is a path to wisdom, to flourishing, to enlightening, and it is the central piece of lectio divina.
The Scriptures are not just a place where we read about God … they are a place where we receive from God.
Rather than living on in mindless autopilot, where our pace of life or our addictions to media and distractions pull us from the reality of the moment, we choose in lectio, to focus on our being present to the present – being present with this text right here, in my life right here.
The very act of choosing to read Scripture is an act of redirecting our thoughts to the things of God.
Lectio divina … is where reading and prayer are bound together. It is a reading that comes out of a life with God and leads into life with God.
We must employ means of reading the text that are publicly shared and adjudicated. Still, we all have our own gift to offer to the church’s comprehension of Scripture, and we have our own ways of receiving from the text.
We are not infallible readers, and we must come to the text with a deep awareness of our weaknesses. We come to the text in humility when … we are open to hear the challenge of the divine Other.
Discovering Lectio Divina. You should read James C. Wilhoit’s and Evan B. Howard’s book to learn more. You can also read the related articles below.
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Summary
Discovering Lectio Divina by James C. Wilhoit and Evan B. Howard offers a transformative approach to Scripture, inviting readers into a deeper, more devotional engagement with God’s Word. The practice of Lectio Divina encourages a reflective reading that connects the mind, heart, and Spirit, helping to reprogram the heart and shape our beliefs. It emphasizes being present in the moment, allowing Scripture to lead to a sacred life through prayer, meditation, and openness to God’s voice. This approach encourages humility and a willingness to hear from the divine, making the reading of Scripture an intimate relationship with God.
© Scripture Union Canada
