The season of Lent began on February 14 with its emphasis on prayer, fasting and repentance. I share with you some ideas for your prayer times to enhance them. One prayer practice that has been used by Christians since the fourth or fifth centuries is called Lectio Divina, translated as "sacred reading."
In Lectio Divina, it goes through four steps: reading, meditation, prayer and contemplation. The first step of reading takes a scripture and uses one's senses to encounter the words. What would the reader imagine seeing, hearing, touching, tasting or smelling as these words are considered? The scripture is read a second time to meditate upon it and imagine God or Jesus speaking the words directly to the reader. The third time that the scripture is read, the reader enters into a time of prayer wherein words of adoration, confession, thanksgiving and supplication are spoken to God, and also the one who prays listens for God's direction. The final time that the scripture is approached leads to further listening to God, so that one may rest in the Lord and receive the gifts that the Lord has to offer.
I recommend using a couple of scriptures suited for this type of prayer: Hebrews 12:1-3, 12-13 and Matthew 11:28-30. Many of the stories of Jesus found in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John work well with this prayer type. I encourage you to try this form of prayer to heighten your relationship with God.
In Lectio Divina, it goes through four steps: reading, meditation, prayer and contemplation. The first step of reading takes a scripture and uses one's senses to encounter the words. What would the reader imagine seeing, hearing, touching, tasting or smelling as these words are considered? The scripture is read a second time to meditate upon it and imagine God or Jesus speaking the words directly to the reader. The third time that the scripture is read, the reader enters into a time of prayer wherein words of adoration, confession, thanksgiving and supplication are spoken to God, and also the one who prays listens for God's direction. The final time that the scripture is approached leads to further listening to God, so that one may rest in the Lord and receive the gifts that the Lord has to offer.
I recommend using a couple of scriptures suited for this type of prayer: Hebrews 12:1-3, 12-13 and Matthew 11:28-30. Many of the stories of Jesus found in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John work well with this prayer type. I encourage you to try this form of prayer to heighten your relationship with God.
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