How to Meditate Biblically in 6 Simple Steps (Part 2 of 3)

Last week, a general overview of biblical meditation was provided. This week, we are going to go a little deeper and explore a simplified version of a specific method of meditation. Next week I’ll provide some practical tips on how you can make margin for everything you’ve learned over the last two weeks.

The method I’m sharing with you actually sounds more complex than it is, but only because the name is in Latin. It essentially means “Divine Reading”, and it has been around since the 6th century!

There are 6 basic parts to this version of the Lectio Divina: Silence, Read, Meditate, Prayer, Contemplation and Live it Out. There….not so scary, right?!

I really appreciate how the C.S. Lewis Institute‘s modified form of Lectio Divina can help us absorb the important teachings of a particular text. Here are the core components as the C.S. Lewis Institute describes them:

Step 1: Silence

Take time to be silent: prepare to communicate with God as He expresses Himself to you in the passage of Scripture you have chosen. After a period of quiet, ask God’s help as you enter this session of meditative prayer.

Step 2: Read

Read a short passage of Scripture aloud several times slowly. Allow its words and meanings to sink into your soul.

Step 3: Meditate

Meditation is like chewing. It is slow and thorough. (We learned this last week.) Write notes about what you see in this passage. Make connections between the various sections. Ask yourself, “What do these words from God say?” “What do they mean?” Place who you are and what you do next to this passage and ask God to examine you. Continue to write your findings.

Step 4: Prayer

Pray using the passage as an outline for your prayer. Read the passage phrase-by-phrase, responding to God after each phrase or verse.

Step 5: Contemplation

Wait in stillness once more. Ask that God bring to your mind any areas of your life that you need to shape more closely to His design as revealed in this passage. Contemplate God’s love and power as it is revealed here.

Step 6: Live It Out

What precisely ought you to be believing, thinking, and doing as a result of this passage? Make notes about how you hope to bring these words from Jesus into your current practice.

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While it may be unrealistic to incorporate all six steps each time you sit down to read Scripture, call to mind Timothy Keller’s description of meditation from last week as being “not quite bible study and not quite prayer, but a bridge between the two. Therefore, there is a place for meditation just as much as there is a place for reading and prayer. That said, the first will greatly enrich the second and third actions when you have time to do so.

Also, since meditation methods aren’t necessarily “prescribed” in the bible, you should feel free to go wherever you feel led to while practicing this or any other method. I know you may be tempted to “get it right”, but I promise that the Lord does not want time with Him to cause undue stress. If the Spirit is leading, and you are following, you can never be wrong!

As I mentioned, next week I will offer some tips on how to incorporate this Divine Reading, or any other biblical meditation, into already full schedules. It is totally possible! The tips aren’t some set of bullets I found on the internet, but are actual real pieces of advice from my own journey and experience. In the meantime, attempt to complete these 6 steps, or as many as you can, at least once between now and when you read next week’s post. See how you do! I’d love to hear about it in the comments!

Pray:

Father God, I know I can and should spend more time in your presence. Help me find one hour this week that I can dedicate only to you. I want to use this time to get deeper into your Word, more so than I usually do. This is especially important as the hustle and bustle of holidays draws nearer. I can get so easily distracted at this time of year. The last thing I want to to be too busy for you. You’re the reason we have this busy time of year to begin with! Just one hour. That’s all I ask today. Help me find it in my schedule or clear something unexpectedly from my plans so I may use that hour just for you. Thank you!

In Jesus’ Holy & Precious Name,

Amen.