Lectio Divina – Spiritual Reading Psalm 73:23-26

Lectio Divina – Spiritual Reading Psalm 73:23-26

A non fact-finding practice. A reception to what the text has to teach you. A slow dance between Scripture, God & Silence.

The meditation begins with a brief explanation of the practice and was given to a live audience.

1. Reading slowly.
2. Meditation-reflect on what its saying to me.
3. Prayer- What is my action or response?
4. Silent love or thankfulness towards God.

Psalm 73:23-26
God says - I am always with you;
I say - You hold my hand.
You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will receive me to glory.
Whom have I in heaven but you?
And there is nothing on earth
that I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but you are the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.

Join Pastor and Hospice Spiritual Director Ryan T. Schmidt for a session of Lectio Divina.

Transcript

Hello,

And thank you for joining me for this very special interaction between scripture and prayer.

This is a practice that is centuries old and has been a way for followers of Christ to go deeper in their relationship with Christ using the scriptures and prayer.

It's called Lectio Divina,

Or Spiritual Reading.

It's a non-fact-finding exercise,

A time of listening,

Opening up,

Silence,

And stillness of body,

Mind,

And heart.

The four movements of Lectio Divina guide us gently through a short passage of scripture in such a way that we read,

Listen,

And respond from the heart towards God and the instruction that His Spirit is giving us through the words of scripture.

First begins with a slow reading of a small portion of scripture.

Second,

There is opportunity for meditation or reflection on what the scripture is saying to me personally.

Third,

Prayer,

Or what is my response,

What is my action that is being birthed from this scripture as it sits in my heart and incubates.

Fourth and final,

The expression of love as only can be expressed from the heart or a thankfulness towards God.

Now take a few moments to take a couple deep breaths.

Find a comfortable posture.

As you come to that place of rest and of peace,

Prepare your mind to receive scripture.

I'd like you to just imagine God right now looking at you with kindness in God's eyes.

A gentle smile shining into your soul at this time.

Listen not just with your ears,

But also with your heart as I read from Psalm 73 verse 23 through 26.

Notice any words or phrases that might catch your attention.

God says,

I am always with you.

I say,

You hold my hand.

You guide me with your counsel.

And afterward,

You will receive me to glory.

Whom have I in heaven but you?

And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.

My flesh and my heart may fail,

But you are the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Take a few moments to reflect on those words.

What words or phrases caught your attention?

Now I will read the passage a second time.

God says,

I am always with you.

I say,

You hold my hand.

You guide me with your counsel.

And afterward,

You will receive me to glory.

Whom have I in heaven but you?

And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.

My flesh and my heart may fail,

But you are the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

What does this scripture passage say to you today?

Can you identify with my flesh and my heart may fail?

Do you need guidance?

Do you need guidance in your life today from God's counsel?

As you read the passage a third time,

Ask God what action are you inviting me towards today?

God says,

I am always with you.

I say,

You hold my hand.

You guide me with your counsel.

And afterward,

You will receive me to glory.

Whom have I in heaven but you?

And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.

My flesh and my heart may fail,

But you are the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Now,

Take some time to pray,

Asking God to lead you using these scriptures.

This is the time for silence.

From your heart,

Express your love towards God in the light of Christ.

Focus on your breath as these two minutes pass.

And if you have distractions,

Just simply greet them,

Those unwanted thoughts.

Send them on their way.

Return to a focus on your breath,

Remembering that God is also in this moment with you,

Just as being present with your breath can only happen in the here and the now.

This meditation will conclude in two minutes with a blessing.

May Christ give you strength today.

May Christ be your peace.

Amen

Reviews

So special. Thank you Ryan.

Just what I needed. Thank you so much.

more than any other, This meditation Is a prayer mas a blessing

Thank you, just beautiful considering the times we are in. 🙏🏻👍🏼💝

I enjoyed the step by step instructions on how to pray with scripture. I feel blessed to have finally learned. Thank you 🙏

I love this method of Scripture reading and meditation. Thank you. I hope there is more to come.

An excellent description of Lectio Divina and an opportunity to enter into it. Thank you, Ryan, for introducing this to Insight Timer.

Powerful! Thank you for sharing this!

Thank you for connecting me with God’s peace and reassurance

Thank you so much for this. God has really spoken to me through meditating with you on this scripture and I now feel filled with a fresh peace and hope. Thank you x.

It was a few moments of pure God consciousness. Thank you

A beautiful blending Scripture, prayer and meditation in the Christian tradition. More, please!

Please do more! Another with less instruction? (You could refer people back to this one for more explanation. ) thank you

Absolutely lovong your mediations Ryan! 💕💕

I loved this! I really need this particular scripture today. I tend to have a hard time staying focused but this really helps me go deeper in my prayer. Thank you.

Beautifully presented. Thank you.

What a lovely practice & a beautiful heart expansion in prayer .🦋

So beautiful! So helpful to me. Thank you. 💖

Very blessed by this meditation. Thank you and God bless. Highly recommended for anyone who has 13mins to spare.

Thank you! Very simple and beautiful.