Lectio
Lectio Divina is an approach to scripture that emphasises reading it prayerfully, slowly and with imagination. It’s as much about the heart as it is “head knowledge”.
Sit down. Pause. Pray, maybe in silence. Clear your head. Ask the Holy Spirit to breathe upon what you read.
We’re going to read the passage 4 times slowly. Each “R” below represents one pass of the Scripture. In brackets are phrases that are sometimes used in place of these words. We’ve used ‘4 Rs’ to make it memorable.
Read
First time through, read the Scripture, maybe aloud if you can.
Reflect
Read it a second time, noting anything that particularly stands out to you. It may be a word, or a phrase. What does it mean? What is the Lord inviting you to explore?
Respond
Read it a third time. Pray – that is talk to God about it. What do you need to say to God? What is God saying to you?
Rest
Read a final time. When finished, wait a moment just in silent prayer. Rest. Be still and know that God is with you.
Lectio is a more ancient framework for reading the Scriptures in a meditative way. As such, there are many variations of the steps. Below is a link to a Lectio freamework provided by 24-7 Prayer which may be more helpful to you, and gives a little more detail.
