A Methodist Way of Life

In the final part of our look at our Divine Reading of The Word we consider how we should Contemplate - Rest on the scripture we have considered

After a final reading of the passage, it is suggested that we should spend around 10 minutes in silent contemplation. This isn’t a time of prayer or meditation — it is just sitting quietly and allow God to work. When our minds starts to wander and dart here and there, we should bring it gently back to stillness again.

It is important to remember that Lectio Divina is not an end in itself or another spiritual practice to tick off our to-do list. It helps us hear specifically and individually from God through Scripture, guided by the Holy Spirit, and deepens our relationship with Him.

The Bible says that we must be still in order to know God. Silence is a necessary art if we want to really know God. It is a gift from God. So if God is quieting down your activity or stopping you in some way, perhaps He wants you to learn this important discipline. God is wooing you to Himself. He is removing all the barriers of true communion with His spirit. This is a gift to you so embrace it with all your heart.  

St John of the Cross suggests that “What we need most in order to make progress is to be silent before this great God with our appetite and with our tongue, for the language he best hears is silent love.”

Where as St Faustina,  a Polish Roman Catholic nun and mystic suggests that “A talkative soul lacks both the essential virtues and intimacy with God. A deeper interior life, one of gentle peace and of that silence where the Lord dwells, is quite out of the question. A soul that has never tasted the sweetness of inner silence is a restless spirit which disturbs the silence of others.” 

Didn’t the Psalmist say, “Be still and know that I AM God.”?

Lord, I desire to seek You and know You.  Help me to hear You speak through the silence.  Help me to understand this deep language of love and to allow You to transform me through this form of prayer.  I love You, dear Lord, and I desire to rest in Your Heart.  Jesus, I trust in You. Amen