I am a slow reader by nature - but for years I have been reading the Bible even slower than normal.
This is meditative reading - British author Joyce Huggett calls it "super-slow reading" in her book Listening to God. Christians through the ages have practiced this method and have developed different ways of doing it.
They find - and I find - it draws you closer to God. God speaks to you as you reflect on what you are reading.
Huggett's book on listening prayer charts her search for more of God. Her very personal story describes how she discovered different ways of hearing God.
"In all our listening," writes Huggett, "the most penetrating word we shall ever hear is God's written Word, the Bible, that sword which slips into the inner recesses of our being, challenging us, changing us, and renewing our minds."
She says she remembers reading the account of Jesus' crucifixion in Mark 15:33-34 and being overwhelmed as she pictured him on the cross, crying out: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
"When you see Jesus writhing on the cross before your very eyes in the way I did that day, you have to make a personal response of humble, grateful surrender to such depths of loving."
She also learned the method used by the Jesuit St. Ignatius Loyola which involves entering with your imagination a scene in the Bible such as the woman seeking healing by touching the hem of Jesus' garment.
Huggett imagined herself as the woman reaching out for Jesus, risking touching him. She tried to use her senses of hearing, sight, smell, taste and touch to gain a deeper impression of this and other scenes in the gospel - and a more intimate understanding of Christ.
She also moved into another kind of meditative reading of the scriptures called "lectio divina". Many Christians have enjoyed and practiced this kind of reading for hundreds of years.
In essence, this is inviting the Holy Spirit to guide you as you read. Jeanne Guyon, the 17th century author of Experiencing the Depths of Jesus Christ, says you read until a particular passage or verse touches your heart and spirit. And then you move beyond yourself into God's presence.
For example, you can take the first words of the beloved psalm 23 - "the Lord is my shepherd" - and spend a long time in reflection. You can dwell on each word.
The word "Lord" causes you to think about who God is - all his qualities - his might, his passionate love for us, his holiness. The word "is" tells you that he is your Lord right now - you belong to him. The word "my" underlines this truth.
And the word "shepherd" speaks of someone who guides, protects, rescues and leads us where we can find nourishment.
This kind of reflective reading leads easily to prayer and praise.
This is meditative reading - British author Joyce Huggett calls it "super-slow reading" in her book Listening to God. Christians through the ages have practiced this method and have developed different ways of doing it.
They find - and I find - it draws you closer to God. God speaks to you as you reflect on what you are reading.
Huggett's book on listening prayer charts her search for more of God. Her very personal story describes how she discovered different ways of hearing God.
"In all our listening," writes Huggett, "the most penetrating word we shall ever hear is God's written Word, the Bible, that sword which slips into the inner recesses of our being, challenging us, changing us, and renewing our minds."
She says she remembers reading the account of Jesus' crucifixion in Mark 15:33-34 and being overwhelmed as she pictured him on the cross, crying out: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
"When you see Jesus writhing on the cross before your very eyes in the way I did that day, you have to make a personal response of humble, grateful surrender to such depths of loving."
She also learned the method used by the Jesuit St. Ignatius Loyola which involves entering with your imagination a scene in the Bible such as the woman seeking healing by touching the hem of Jesus' garment.
Huggett imagined herself as the woman reaching out for Jesus, risking touching him. She tried to use her senses of hearing, sight, smell, taste and touch to gain a deeper impression of this and other scenes in the gospel - and a more intimate understanding of Christ.
She also moved into another kind of meditative reading of the scriptures called "lectio divina". Many Christians have enjoyed and practiced this kind of reading for hundreds of years.
In essence, this is inviting the Holy Spirit to guide you as you read. Jeanne Guyon, the 17th century author of Experiencing the Depths of Jesus Christ, says you read until a particular passage or verse touches your heart and spirit. And then you move beyond yourself into God's presence.
For example, you can take the first words of the beloved psalm 23 - "the Lord is my shepherd" - and spend a long time in reflection. You can dwell on each word.
The word "Lord" causes you to think about who God is - all his qualities - his might, his passionate love for us, his holiness. The word "is" tells you that he is your Lord right now - you belong to him. The word "my" underlines this truth.
And the word "shepherd" speaks of someone who guides, protects, rescues and leads us where we can find nourishment.
This kind of reflective reading leads easily to prayer and praise.
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