Lectio Divina
Lectio Divina, also known as “Soaking in Scripture,” is a form of prayer that enables you to deeply engage with the richness and vitality of God’s Word.This method of Bible reading encourages active listening for God’s voice. Begin by reading a scripture passage, then contemplate its significance, respond to God in prayer based on that significance, and ultimately, find solace and stillness in God’s presence without the need for further words. Reading is akin to ingesting food, meditation involves chewing and digesting it, prayer extracts its essence, and contemplation is the sweet enjoyment that uplifts and refreshes.
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​Lectio Divina Steps to Follow:
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lectio - Read a brief Bible passage slowly, then read it again several times. The objective is not to hurry through the Bible but to discern God’s personal message to you.
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meditatio - Reflect on the scripture passage, relishing the words that resonate with you. Meditate on these words as you listen for God’s voice speaking to you through them.
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oratio - Respond to God. This is a dialogue, not a monologue. Listen to God’s message, then respond to Him. He will hear you.
​contemplatio. Rest in God’s presence without the necessity of saying anything. Allow yourself to be enveloped by God’s love and acceptance. This is akin to having a tranquil moment with God. Be still, let go of any distractions, and sense God’s presence within and around you.
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grato. Conclude with a gratitude prayer.
Prayers {different styles of Lectio Divina}
Matthew 13:46 (NKJV)
James 1:2-3
(NIV)
John 16:33
(ESV)
My Peace
My Peace is the treasure of treasures: the pearl of great price. It is an exquisitely costly gift, for both the Giver and the receiver. I purchased this peace for you with My blood. You receive this gift of trusting Me in the midst of life's storms.
If you have the world's peace - everything going your way - you don't seek My unfathomable peace.
Thank Me when things do not go your way, because spiritual blessings come wrapped in trials.
Adverse circumstances are normal in a fallen world. Expect them each day. Rejoice in the face of hardship, for I have overcome the world.
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Who, when He has found one peral of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it. - Matthew 13:46 (NKJV)
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face traisl fo many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. James 1:2-3 (NIV)
"I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world."​ John 16:33 (ESV)
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from Sarah Young
Psalm 23
{Personalized, Expanded}
My Best Friend
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Lord, You are my closest companion, healing and nourishing me. Why do I always have abundance? Because You are, after all, my Best Friend.
You provide me with a place to rest in Your abundant love, where I am learning to remain and dwell. I desire, Lord, to embrace Your invitation to relax and still my soul. Listening to You and following Your guidance leads me daily to a peaceful oasis and a serene stream of contentment. Here, You renew and revitalize my life. Lord, I ask you, what does my restored and revived life look like? You guide me as You direct my steps. By matching Your pace, following You each day, and remaining in Your presence, I am learning to ebb and flow with Your every move.
Fear will never conquer or overwhelm me, even when the path takes me through the valley of deepest darkness and wave upon wave of warfare. You always remain close to me, consistently by my side. What does it look like, Lord, to not be full of fear?
The solace of Your love dispels all fear, ensuring I am never alone. Your power is my source of strength and tranquility. You and Your trusty shepherd's crook stand by me and support me constantly.
You serve a royal dinner, even when the adversary has the audacity to battle. I partake of Your custom feast for two on the battlefield. Why? Because You want my enemies to see what they are missing and rub it in their faces as You show them Whose I am!
My life overflows with blessings from the essence of the Holy Spirit. He fills me with His presence until my heart overflows. His tangible presence alters and transforms the atmosphere around me.
Do I fear the future? No way! No way! No way! No way! Your love and kindness follow me everywhere I go until, at the appointed moment, You take me home to dwell with You for all eternity.
Selah!
I will never look back because that glorious moment is when I begin a life that exceeds all expectations with the Lover of my soul, my Dearest Shepherd, and my Best Friend.
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Reflect on what it means to you to have Jesus as your best friend.
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Luke 2:22-40
(The Message)
God the Promise Keeper
Then when the days stipulated by Moses for purification were complete, they took him up to Jerusalem to offer him to God as commanded in God’s Law: “Every male who opens the womb shall be a holy offering to God,” and also to sacrifice the “pair of doves or two young pigeons” prescribed in God’s Law. In Jerusalem at the time, there was a man, Simeon by name, a good man, a man who lived in the prayerful expectancy of help for Israel. And the Holy Spirit was on him. The Holy Spirit had shown him that he would see the Messiah of God before he died.
Led by the Spirit, he entered the Temple. As the parents of the child Jesus brought him in to carry out the rituals of the Law, Simeon took him into his arms and blessed God: God, you can now release your servant; release me in peace as you promised. With my own eyes I’ve seen your salvation; it’s now out in the open for everyone to see: A God-revealing light to the non-Jewish nations, and of glory for your people Israel. Jesus’ father and mother were speechless with surprise at these words.
Simeon went on to bless them, and said to Mary his mother, This child marks both the failure and the recovery of many in Israel, A figure misunderstood and contradicted— the pain of a sword-thrust through you— But the rejection will force honesty, as God reveals who they really are. Anna the prophetess was also there, a daughter of Phanuel from the tribe of Asher. She was by now a very old woman. She had been married seven years and a widow for eighty-four.
She never left the Temple area, worshiping night and day with her fastings and prayers. At the very time Simeon was praying, she showed up, broke into an anthem of praise to God, and talked about the child to all who were waiting expectantly for the freeing of Jerusalem. When they finished everything required by God in the Law, they returned to Galilee and their own town, Nazareth.
There the child grew strong in body and wise in spirit. And the grace of God was on him.
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Reflection:
God keeps his promises. He is completely trustworthy.
Faith in God, in seemingly impossible circumstances - what does that mean to you?
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Our Father's Prayer
Mathew 6:9-13
(AMP)
(The Message)
(NLT)
Guided Lectio Meditation
Stillness
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I choose to pause now. I ask the Spirit to re-center my scattered mind, the Father to lavish on me His endless love, and Jesus to interrupt my agenda with His own.
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Read
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“Pray, then, in this way:
‘Our Father, who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. ‘Your kingdom come, Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. ‘Give us this day our daily bread. ‘And forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven our debtors [letting go of both the wrong and the resentment]. ‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.]’
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- Matthew 6:9-13 (AMP)
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Pause
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Read Again
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The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. They’re full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God. Don’t fall for that nonsense. This is your Father you are dealing with, and He knows better than you what you need.
With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply.
Like this:
Our Father in heaven,
Reveal who you are.
Set the world right;
Do what’s best—
as above, so below.
Keep us alive with three square meals.
Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others.
Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil.
You’re in charge!
You can do anything you want!
You’re ablaze in beauty!
Yes. Yes. Yes.
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- Matthew 6:9-13 (The Message)
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Pause
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Read a Third Time
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Pray like this:
Our Father in heaven,
may Your name be kept holy.
May Your Kingdom come soon.
May Your will be done on earth,
as it is in heaven.
Give us today the food we need,
and forgive us our sins,
as we have forgiven those who sin against us.
And don’t let us yield to temptation,
but rescue us from the evil one.
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- Matthew 6:9-13 (NLT)
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How do these various interpretations affect my perception of God the Father?
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Rest in prayer.
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Thank you for the honor of being a part of Your kingdom. Just as food satisfies my hunger, let me experience the profound joy, satisfaction, and fulfillment that comes from fulfilling Your will today. Allow my heart to be open to bringing Your kingdom into my atmosphere.
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In Jesus' Name. Amen.
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Gratitude
What am I grateful for today?
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