Sacred Reading: Hearing the Whisper of the Lord
/Devote yourself to the...reading of Scripture... 1Timothy 4:13 Why not begin your fall Bible study (no matter what that may be) by reading, reading, and then reading again.
Or as my almost 4 year old grandson Carter and I would say, "Reading?...reading?...how about reading?"
And why should we read? Because it's by repeated reading that we begin to get the "big picture" of what God is saying in the Bible. We also begin to notice repeated key truths.
And most precious of all, we begin to hear the Lord speak to us through His treasured words.
As the prophet Jeremiah once said,
Your words were found and I ate them,And Your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart;For I have been called by Your name,O Lord God of hosts. Jeremiah 15:16
Or as my sweet friend Penny once prayed,
LORD, Your words are so delicious!
During the past summer, a small group of ladies met at BellHOP Cafe in Bellbrook OH every Friday afternoon. We shared with each other the Lord's "whisperings" from our personal meditative reading in the Gospel of John from the previous week. Then we spent time in worship based on our treasured reflections. Our time with the Lord was so rich!
If you would like to explore what is traditionally called lectio divina, read this short excerpt and click here for the remainder of the article: Whisper of the Beloved (2 pages).
Lectio Divina is like the joyful reading of an ancient pile of love letters. It is a time to listen-- not to dissect, analyze, evaluate or dialogue. It is not studying to learn about the Scriptures; it is reading to listen. Come to this reading and listening as a young lover would-- eager to hear afresh the whisper of the Beloved. Listen to the sound of each word. Read slowly. And rest as you listen.
So this week, grab a journal or notebook, your Bible. Chose a book or passage (maybe using different versions for each day) and then just read, read, read -- not books about the Bible. Read the Scriptures!
Write down verses that jump out, thoughts that come to you in the reading...and of course, prayers that rise up. Write it down. Trust me, you will forget! So you will be glad to have recorded what God may be saying to you!
So...HAPPY, RESTFUL READING...and I'll see you later on.
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2Timothy 3:16-17
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Here's a link to Bible Gateway. You can read in many different versions at his site. Just enter the passage and the version you want and...voila!
I've been enjoying The Voice, a new translation of the New Testament published by Thomas Nelson. For a free download and short video clips, follow this link:
http://www.nelsonfree.com/voicent
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
If you would like to join us in our fall reading and study in the letter to the Hebrews, here is a chart that will help you as you read through the book of Hebrews multiple times. Make notes in the corresponding boxes for each chapter as you go along:
