Prayer as Listening
This is something I struggle with. I admit that most of my life, my prayer life has been more of a monologue. I’ve found that I have little trouble voicing my concerns and requests to God. When I’m struggling with something I can cry, sing, shout or whisper, and I love doing this. My times of crying out to God have been a lifeline and a comfort. I enjoy praising Him too. When I think about the world and the beauty in it, I can’t help but praise Him. Or when I think about my friends and family and all the ways that they have loved me, I am grateful. I’m also pretty good at praying for other people too. I’m on the Intercessors Prayer Team at my church. I feel that intercessory prayer is one of my gifts, along with empathy, so I feel comfortable entering into the struggles or pain another person is feeling.
However, listening to what God might be telling me is more difficult. This is definitely an area where I can grow. It’s hard for me to “be still.” I feel that when I’m praying I should be saying or doing something.
I’m starting to read a book called Opening to God by David G. Benner. In it Benner introduces the spiritual discipline of lectio divina and explores how the practice leads to a more prayerful life. Lectio divina literally means ‘divine reading’ or ‘spiritual reading.’ It dates back to the 3rd-6th centuries as a common practice in many monasteries. It involves reading and interacting with a passage of scripture to discern what God may be saying to you in it.
Recently there has a been a surge in popularity of lectio divina and other spiritual disciplines. Perhaps its the frantic pace of modern technological life that makes Christians yearn for something different. Or, perhaps like me, other Christians have trouble listening for God and are looking for a way to train the ears of their heart to do so.
I’ll give an update of how Opening to God and my attempt at lectio divina are going soon.
November 18, 2010 at 11:51 am Comment (1)
