Welcome into the Lectio Divina.
This reading is from Psalm 104,
24 through 34.
I will be reading from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible.
I will lead you through the passage four times.
After each reading,
I will give you time to reflect on the reading with a different focus each time.
Before we begin,
Find a comfortable place to sit.
Place yourself in a position to receive the Holy Spirit.
Take a deep breath from your nose and exhale slowly through your mouth and pause.
Relax your body and ask God to be with you and with your thoughts.
Imagine yourself sitting in the presence of God.
Listen for words or phrases that speak to you.
If you find your mind wandering,
Just gently bring it back to the reading.
Take another deep breath through your nose and exhale slowly through your mouth and pause.
As I read this passage through the first time,
Listen for patterns,
Images,
And ideas.
Listen as if you are listening to someone read a personal letter addressed to you.
O Lord,
How manifold are Your works!
In wisdom You have made them all.
The earth is full of Your creatures.
Yonder is the sea,
Great and wide.
Creeping things,
Innumerable,
Are there.
Living things both small and great.
There go the ships,
The leviathan that You formed to sport in it.
These all look to You to give them their food in due season.
When You give to them,
They gather it up.
When You open Your hand,
They are filled with good things.
When You hide Your face,
They are dismayed.
When You take away their breath,
They die and return to the dust.
When You send forth Your Spirit,
They are created,
And You renew the face of the ground.
May the glory of the Lord endure forever.
May the Lord rejoice in His works.
Who looks on the earth and it trembles?
Who touches the mountains and they smoke?
I will sing to the Lord as long as I live.
I will sing praise to my God while I have being.
May my meditation be pleasing to Him,
For I rejoice in the Lord.
Take another deep breath through your nose and exhale slowly through your mouth and pause.
As I read through this passage the second time,
Recall anything that stood out to you during the first reading.
Is this something you can connect to your life?
Use your imagination and paint a middle picture of the text.
Place yourself in the story and engage your senses.
What do you experience as you sit in this passage?
O Lord,
How manifold are Your works!
In wisdom You have made them all.
The earth is full of Your creatures.
Beyonder is the sea,
Great and wide.
Creeping things,
Innumerable are there.
Living things both small and great.
There go the ships,
The leviathan that You formed to sport in it.
These all look to You to give them their food in due season.
When You give to them,
They gather it up.
When You open Your hand,
They are filled with good things.
When You hide Your face,
They are dismayed.
When You take away their breath,
They die and return to the dust.
When You send forth Your Spirit,
They are created,
And You renew the face of the ground.
May the glory of the Lord endure forever.
May the Lord rejoice in His works.
Who looks on the earth and it trembles?
Who touches the mountains and they smoke?
I will sing to the Lord as long as I live.
I will sing praise to my God while I have being.
May my meditation be pleasing to Him,
For I rejoice in the Lord.
Take another deep breath through your nose and exhale slowly through your mouth and pause.
As I read this passage the third time,
Reflect on the thoughts,
Feelings,
Actions,
Fears,
Convictions and questions you have experienced up to this point.
Offer these to God in prayer.
Praise God for who God is.
O Lord,
How manifold are Your works!
In wisdom You have made them all.
The earth is full of Your creatures.
Yonder is the sea,
Great and wide,
Creeping things,
Innumerable are there,
Living things both small and great.
There go the ships,
The leviathan that You formed to sport in it.
These all look to You to give them their food in due season.
When You give to them,
They gather it up.
When You open Your hand,
They are filled with good things.
When You hide Your face,
They are dismayed.
When You take away their breath,
They die and return to the dust.
When You send forth Your Spirit,
They are created,
And You renew the face of the ground.
May the glory of the Lord endure forever.
May the Lord rejoice in His works.
Who looks on the earth and it trembles?
Who touches the mountains and they smoke?
I will sing to the Lord as long as I live.
I will sing praise to my God while I have being.
May my meditation be pleasing to Him,
For I rejoice in the Lord.
Amen.
Take another deep breath through your nose and exhale slowly through your mouth and pause.
As I read this passage through the fourth and final time,
Sit in silence in the presence of God.
Be still and know that God is God.
Simply sit and allow yourself to feel the presence of God and feel God's tender love and embrace.
O Lord,
How manifold are your works!
In wisdom you have made them all.
The earth is full of your creatures.
Yonder is the sea,
Great and wide.
Creeping things,
Innumerable,
Are there.
Living things both small and great.
There go the ships,
The leviathan that you formed to sport in it.
These all look to you to give them their food in due season.
When you give to them,
They gather it up.
When you open your hand,
They are filled with good things.
When you hide your face,
They are dismayed.
When you take away their breath,
They die and return to the dust.
When you send forth your spirit,
They are created and you renew the face of the ground.
May the glory of the Lord endure forever.
May the Lord rejoice in his works.
Who looks on the earth and it trembles.
Who touches the mountains and they smoke.
I will sing to the Lord as long as I live.
I will sing praise to my God while I have been.
May my meditation be pleasing to him.
For I rejoice in the Lord.
Take another deep breath through your nose and exhale slowly through your mouth and pause.
As you think about your experience with God during this exercise,
Ask yourself three questions.
What did you learn from or about God?
What did you learn about what God thinks or wants from you?
What action steps,
If any,
Can you take out of conviction from this lesson?
May you feel the presence of God throughout your day today.
Amen.
