Trust & Obey

How does someone go about talking to God? It’s a question we all ask, but we don’t know the answer. We will sit around in Bible studies where everyone asks this question, and some may have vague answers, but most Christians don’t know how to speak with God on a daily basis. We are trudging through a spiritual desert, wondering what we need to do in order to get out.

One way I found to grow my relationship with God is using the practice of lectio divina to train my ear to God’s voice. The practice of lectio divinia is tried and true and has been recommended by many spiritual teachers (Dallas Willard being one of them!). It’s a good way to get you into scripture and engaging with God in His Word. You can do it with a Bible story like “Daniel and the Lions’ Den,” or a psalm, or a section of a Pauline letter. It could be a chapter or a Bible verse that you spend time with. I tend to do a few verses at a time, so I can fully absorb the scripture. Either way, this exercise isn’t meant to be complicated. It is meant for anyone with a desire to hear from God.

Lectio divina starts with taking a few deep breaths with your eyes closed, asking God to open your eyes and ears to what He has for you today. It’s about letting go of what you think you should read or want to hear and opening yourself up to God’s voice. When you open your eyes, you will read the scripture; just ingest it. Don’t worry about finding a meaning. Just understand what it says. Answer questions like: Who’s talking? What are they trying to say? What’s happening? What do you see revealed about God or yourself?

When we read the verse above, what do we notice? Maybe it’s words like “fear” or “friendship.” Or, it could be a phrase like “friendship of the Lord.” It’s important that they roll around in your brain. Give yourself time to grasp what you are reading, and if you are struggling, ask God for guidance (it’s why we read with Him!).

Once you are at a point when you feel you could simply explain this verse to someone, then it’s time to move on to the meditative element. It takes a lot more time than the intial steps and it is the focal point of the practice. Sometimes, I stop and shut my eyes for a minute so I can look at the passage afresh. At this point, you should feel comfortable with what you are reading. Open your eyes and read it, but this time looking for what God has for you. Usually it’s a word or a couple words that stand out to you. Maybe there already were some words that stood out to you. Either way, you just want to ask God what He wants to show you today. Maybe it’s something different, maybe it’s what you already saw. Highlight it and ask God what He wants to show you with that word.

One time, I was reading over Judges 3:12-30 (the story of Ehud the Judge), and there were all of these great sections and statements, but the one that stuck out to me was the begginning of verse 25: “They waited to the point of embarrassment”. I didn’t get it until God said to me, You’re embarrassed of my plan for you and of waiting on me. It broke my heart because He was right. I was embarrassed that I was a month from my wedding and me and my fiance had no idea what we were doing. I was embarrassed of God’s plan and He was calling me out for it! It was convicting, but a good feeling. There was finally a sense of honesty, and that mattered to me. It allowed me to again surrender my future to God.

After finding that word or phrase and what God is saying, it’s important to spend time in prayer. Maybe it’s praying aloud, having moments of silence, or writing feelings out in a journal. Spend time thanking God for speaking to you, and responding to His words. Ask Him for what is on your heart, or tell Him what you are thinking. Or, if you aren’t sure if it was Him, pray for clarification or discernment in hearing His voice. There is no shame with God, and He understands our struggles. It’s better we be honest with Him, because He already knows what you are feeling anyway. Regardless of what you experience, thank God for the time you get to spend together, for His Word, and for what you think He might be saying to you. There is always something to be thankful for.

Another option is to do “breath prayers.” If there is a phrase that stood out to you, you break it down into inhale and exhale. The phrase “My eyes are ever towards the Lord” stood out to me because it reminded me of how my eyes must always be focused on Jesus in order to follow Him. So, for me, I would inhale and say “My eyes are on,” exhale, “the Lord.” You repeat this a few times for a few minutes. It’s meant to solidify your belief in what you are saying and be something you come back to when you need to remind yourself.

Finish with spending time in silence. Is there anything else God has to share with you? Is there anything you need to let go of or is it time to just rest? That’s what you wrap up with. I set a timer of 5-10 minutes so that I can push myself without looking at the clock one hundred times. There are plenty of times I don’t hear anything, but it is good for us to spend time with God in silence and to give Him space to speak. It’s critical to have that time where you are tuning yourself to the sound of His voice. If our lives are filled with senseless noise, we won’t be able to hear the voice of God.