Recently, I spoke about the story of Elijah on Mt. Horeb as an example of how to better listen to God. I also spoke about listening to God in Scripture.
In this session, I want to talk some more about how to listen to God through Scripture. To help you on that journey, I am providing links to past Christian Formation sessions in the description for this video and in the text for this session on the Trey's Thoughts website.
- First, get a good Study Bible. There are a lot of resources out there that can help you understand the words of Scripture better. Study Bibles are the first of those resources to look at. These Bibles come with notes, maps, and other tools that can make difficult passages clearer. There are a number of Study Bibles out there, so pick the right one for you. My past Christian Formation session on Study Bibles can help get you started.
- Lectio Divina, or "divine reading", is a great method you can use to help you hear what God is saying to you in this moment as you study a passage of Scripture. Lectio Divina involves multiple readings of a passage as you find a phrase or a word that speaks to you. Then you ponder this phrase or word to discern what is it that God might be saying to you through that word or phrase.
- If you are looking for what passage of Scripture to start with, the Daily Office Lectionary can be a huge help. Found on page 934 in The Book of Common Prayer, the Daily Office Lectionary provides a two-year cycle of consecutive Scripture readings for every day of the year. Each day has an Old Testament reading, an epistle reading from the New Testament, a reading from one of the Gospels, and a selection of Psalms. If all that is overwhelming, then just take one of these readings to follow each day.
- Taking time to go on a Spiritual Retreat is helpful for our spiritual health, but you can also use it as a time to dive deeper into Scripture. Go to my session on Retreats for more details.
- It may be that you would like the help of others as you explore Scripture. Bible Studies are an excellent tool to understand and listen to Scripture better. These can be formal offerings provided by your church or gatherings between you and your closest friends and loved ones. How you run your Bible Study is up to you, just make sure you and your fellow participants continue to feel God's presence as you listen to the words of Scripture.
Listening to God through the words of Scripture is a tried and true method of hearing what God has to say to us in our lives of faith. As with all spiritual disciplines, it requires time, practice, and patience. I hope this session has given you the tools you need to continue on this path in discerning God's will for us in our lives no matter where it is you are in your journey.