Good morning room.
Let's fix you up a bit.
Let's see.
Open the blinds just a little,
the light of the morning beams through.
The clouds and blue sky greet me with a smile.
Hello chair, may I have a seat?
Plop down and gaze out the window,
wonderful.
Pause.
Inhale, exhale,
What a peaceful morning.
What treasures does the Word of God have today?
Open Her up.
Ahhh. David, what do you have to say?
That verse, I can't move past that verse.
It sticks in my mind,
It grabs at my heart,
It stirs my soul.
How wonderful is your Word!
God, you speak of things so true,
Its as if you are calling to something deep inside me.
In this moment, I would like to sit
and hold onto you forever.
That your Word would not leave my attention,
that your voice would linger a little while longer.
But it is time to go now,
the day awaits.
Thank you for speaking with me,
and may I honor You with what you showed me
this morning.
Showing posts with label Devotionals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Devotionals. Show all posts
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Christian Meditation
The goal of Christian meditation is to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
Here are some words of depth from a Christian of the past on meditation, Madame Guyon:
"I believe the best manner of meditating is as follows: when, by an act of lively faith, you are placed in the Presence of God, recollect some truth wherein there is substance and food; pause gently and sweetly thereon, not to employ the reason, but merely to calm and fix the mind: for you must observe, that your principal exercise should ever be the Presence of God; your subject, therefore, should rather serve to stay the mind, than exercise the understanding."
I would add, when you are reading the Bible and a particular verse grabs your attention, don't hurry on past on the verse. Stop, pause, and reflect on it. Let it penetrate and provoke your wonder and awe.
When you see something wonderful in your family, when you see some moving act of love or patience, stop, pause, and reflect on it. Let your appreciation to God fill your heart.
When you are out doing your daily business or chores and you see something wonderfully created (tree, flower, clouds, etc), take a moment, pause, reflect on it. Let it penetrate and provoke your wonder and awe of God.
Think about Psalm 46:10, Be still and know that He is God.
At times, it is good for our soul to stop, be still, and know God is around us, active, and involved. It is good to acknowledge the wonder of God.
Be still.
Have you been still before God lately?
Here are some words of depth from a Christian of the past on meditation, Madame Guyon:
"I believe the best manner of meditating is as follows: when, by an act of lively faith, you are placed in the Presence of God, recollect some truth wherein there is substance and food; pause gently and sweetly thereon, not to employ the reason, but merely to calm and fix the mind: for you must observe, that your principal exercise should ever be the Presence of God; your subject, therefore, should rather serve to stay the mind, than exercise the understanding."
I would add, when you are reading the Bible and a particular verse grabs your attention, don't hurry on past on the verse. Stop, pause, and reflect on it. Let it penetrate and provoke your wonder and awe.
When you see something wonderful in your family, when you see some moving act of love or patience, stop, pause, and reflect on it. Let your appreciation to God fill your heart.
When you are out doing your daily business or chores and you see something wonderfully created (tree, flower, clouds, etc), take a moment, pause, reflect on it. Let it penetrate and provoke your wonder and awe of God.
Think about Psalm 46:10, Be still and know that He is God.
At times, it is good for our soul to stop, be still, and know God is around us, active, and involved. It is good to acknowledge the wonder of God.
Be still.
Have you been still before God lately?
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Getting more out of Devotions (Lectio Divina)
This post is about a practice that has assisted my time with God. If your devotional time has gotten a little stale, maybe this could help you.
The practice is an old one and has been called lectio divina. Basically, lectio divina is a practice which focuses on small passages of Scripture, slowly reading, silence, and using repetition.
SSSR :
Small Scripture passages
Slowly reading
Silence
Repetition
The reason it has been helpful for me is probably the same reason it will assist you. As Americans, we are fast-paced, noisy, and goal-oriented. Lectio Divina helps combat these traits by intentionally slowing us down, providing space to be quiet and hear the voice of God, and helping us rest in God's Word without some agenda or quota of large amounts of Scripture to read.
There are many different ways you can structure this practice. What I will share next does not necessarily have to be the only way, but is the way I learned and what I have enjoyed.
1) Select a time/place that is distraction free/quiet
2) Use 1-10 verses maximum.
3) Read through the passage slowly.
4) After reading, be quiet for 2-3 minutes. Enjoy God's Presence. Do not speak, or think prayers in your head (You will be tempted to talk to God and start praying in silence, or you mind will start thinking random thoughts-try to bring yourself back to focus if you stray or start talking, remember you want to listen and be still-NOT TALK), attempt to simply be still and listen.
5) Read through the passage again.
6) Highlight any verses that jump out to you or speak to you personally.
7) Be silent before the Lord again for 2-3 minutes. If your mind wanders recall the verse that jumped out at you or say out loud, "Jesus Son of David, have mercy on me, a sinner." And then when focused again, continue to be silent.
-Another helpful thought that helps me get back on track if I am wandering is : I might pose the question, "What is the chief end of man, to enjoy Him forever." This seems to work well at bringing me back to the point of enjoying God's presence, not having to talk, not having to do anything, just enjoying Him.
8) Read through only the highlighted verses if you wish or the entire passage.
9) Repeat time of silence.
10) Read through fourth time highlighted verses or entire passage.
11) Repeat time of silence.
Play with this technique, mold it, shape it, own it. Make it your own with your own methods. If you are enjoying God, then you are doing it right. If you are not, give it up and don't use it.
Upon researching possible texts to use when beginning lectio divina, I ran across these passages which may be good to start with and from there I encourage you to explore on your own where God wants you to spend time in his Word:
Psalm 24 *(Remember, tackle only 1-10 verses at a time!)
Psalm 25
Psalm 84
Psalm 51 (Cleansing from sin)
Psalm 16:9-11 (Assurance in heaven)
Prov. 16:1-3 (Trusting in God's ways)
Matt 5:3-10 (Beattitudes)
John 17:6-19 (Jesus' prayer over disciples)
John 17:20-26 (Jesus' prayer over future believers)
Romans 12:9-13 (Love)
1John 5-9 (God is light, walk in the light)
Job 42:1-6 (Seeing God)
Genesis 1 (Creation)
Deut. 30:14-20 (Love God)
Exodus 4:11-12 (God will teach you what to say)
Psalm 119: 103-105 (Word of God)
Phil 3:7-14 (Pressing on toward the Goal)
2Tim 4:1-8 (Preaching charge)
* (I took liberty to summarize the verses under different categories to assist in selecting a particular passage. I wanted to have a general guide for my own selection in beginning this practice.)
The practice is an old one and has been called lectio divina. Basically, lectio divina is a practice which focuses on small passages of Scripture, slowly reading, silence, and using repetition.
SSSR :
Small Scripture passages
Slowly reading
Silence
Repetition
The reason it has been helpful for me is probably the same reason it will assist you. As Americans, we are fast-paced, noisy, and goal-oriented. Lectio Divina helps combat these traits by intentionally slowing us down, providing space to be quiet and hear the voice of God, and helping us rest in God's Word without some agenda or quota of large amounts of Scripture to read.
There are many different ways you can structure this practice. What I will share next does not necessarily have to be the only way, but is the way I learned and what I have enjoyed.
1) Select a time/place that is distraction free/quiet
2) Use 1-10 verses maximum.
3) Read through the passage slowly.
4) After reading, be quiet for 2-3 minutes. Enjoy God's Presence. Do not speak, or think prayers in your head (You will be tempted to talk to God and start praying in silence, or you mind will start thinking random thoughts-try to bring yourself back to focus if you stray or start talking, remember you want to listen and be still-NOT TALK), attempt to simply be still and listen.
5) Read through the passage again.
6) Highlight any verses that jump out to you or speak to you personally.
7) Be silent before the Lord again for 2-3 minutes. If your mind wanders recall the verse that jumped out at you or say out loud, "Jesus Son of David, have mercy on me, a sinner." And then when focused again, continue to be silent.
-Another helpful thought that helps me get back on track if I am wandering is : I might pose the question, "What is the chief end of man, to enjoy Him forever." This seems to work well at bringing me back to the point of enjoying God's presence, not having to talk, not having to do anything, just enjoying Him.
8) Read through only the highlighted verses if you wish or the entire passage.
9) Repeat time of silence.
10) Read through fourth time highlighted verses or entire passage.
11) Repeat time of silence.
Play with this technique, mold it, shape it, own it. Make it your own with your own methods. If you are enjoying God, then you are doing it right. If you are not, give it up and don't use it.
Upon researching possible texts to use when beginning lectio divina, I ran across these passages which may be good to start with and from there I encourage you to explore on your own where God wants you to spend time in his Word:
Psalm 24 *(Remember, tackle only 1-10 verses at a time!)
Psalm 25
Psalm 84
Psalm 51 (Cleansing from sin)
Psalm 16:9-11 (Assurance in heaven)
Prov. 16:1-3 (Trusting in God's ways)
Matt 5:3-10 (Beattitudes)
John 17:6-19 (Jesus' prayer over disciples)
John 17:20-26 (Jesus' prayer over future believers)
Romans 12:9-13 (Love)
1John 5-9 (God is light, walk in the light)
Job 42:1-6 (Seeing God)
Genesis 1 (Creation)
Deut. 30:14-20 (Love God)
Exodus 4:11-12 (God will teach you what to say)
Psalm 119: 103-105 (Word of God)
Phil 3:7-14 (Pressing on toward the Goal)
2Tim 4:1-8 (Preaching charge)
* (I took liberty to summarize the verses under different categories to assist in selecting a particular passage. I wanted to have a general guide for my own selection in beginning this practice.)
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