1
Lectio
to read
Read the verse aloud, slowly. Then read it again, even more slowly. Then a third time — almost as a whisper, as if the words were a small bird in your hand. The mind will settle. The heart will begin to listen.
A SLOW WAY TO READ
Lectio Divina
"Divine reading." A practice the monks of the West have kept for fifteen hundred years. Four small steps for a single verse, in the quiet of an evening or the freshness of a morning.
2
Meditatio
to meditate
Let one word or phrase rise from the verse and hold your attention. Do not fight it. Simply notice it. Why this word, on this day? What does it ask of you, or offer you? Hold it quietly the way one holds a smooth stone.
3
Oratio
to pray
Now speak back to the Lord — out of the word you have been holding. It may be thanks. It may be a question. It may be a confession or a small request. Brief is enough. Honest is everything.
4
Contemplatio
to contemplate
Stop speaking. Stop thinking, as much as you are able. Simply rest in the Lord's presence for one minute. Or three. The verse has done its work. Now let the Lord do his.
Twelve Verses to Begin With
One a day for two weeks. Take the slow path.
Psalm 46:10
"Be still, and know that I am God."
Psalm 23:1
"The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want."
John 8:12
"I am the light of the world."
Psalm 119:105
"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path."
Matthew 11:28
"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."
Isaiah 40:31
"They that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength."
1 Peter 5:7
"Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you."
Psalm 27:1
"The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?"
John 14:27
"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you."
Psalm 121:1-2
"I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help."
Galatians 5:22-23
"The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith."
1 John 4:16
"God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him."
Knowledge layer