God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform;
He plants His footsteps in the sea
and rides upon the storm.
Deep in unfathomable mines
of never-failing skill;
He treasures up His bright designs,
and works His sovereign will.
Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take;
the clouds ye so much dread
are big with mercy and shall break
in blessings on your head.
Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
but trust Him for His grace;
behind a frowning providence
He hides a smiling face.
His purposes will ripen fast,
unfolding every hour;
the bud may have a bitter taste,
but sweet will be the flow'r.
Blind unbelief is sure to err,
and scan His work in vain;
God is His own interpreter,
and He will make it plain.
-William Cowper, (1731-1800)
Words such as the ones in today’s Simple Sunday Liturgy are not penned by one who has not know trouble. They are instead often penned by one who has known deep and grievous pain in life. Today’s author was no stranger to the dark night of the soul, having battled most of his life with depression. I am often reminded of the glory of God in the way that God can bring such incredibly beautiful things from such a difficult life. It is as if the art is made more beautiful by the struggle. More miraculous because of what it had to work around and through to produce something that makes the heart sigh with awe.
No matter what you are enduring in this season of your life, God can bring something beautiful from it, something even holy. And when He does the treasure that surfaces will be priceless, because the cost exacted for it to come forth may have nearly cost you everything.
Today I would like to lead you through an ancient spiritual practice called Lectio Divina. It means “Divine Reading”. In this practice we listen as a passage of Scripture is read multiple times. There is an exact order you can follow that is helpful when you just begin to use this practice to deepen your prayers and understanding of Scripture.
Steps to Lectio Divina (←click there for a free printable)
Prepare (Silencio)
Read (Lectio)
Mediate (Meditatio)
Pray (Oratio)
Contemplate (Contemplatio)
Silencio- We begin by taking a deep breath and settling into where we are seated. Take in the silence with your breath and allow it to settle your mind and heart.
Lectio- We read or listen to a reading of a passage of Scripture. We are just allowing the scene or context of the Scripture to come into our understanding. It’s more of observing than processing.
Meditatio- We listen to the passage or read the passage again, this time paying attention for any words or phrases that shimmer for us or stick out. Think about those words or phrases for a few moments while you continue to allow your breath to be relaxed.
Oratio- Once more we read the passage or listen to it being read. This time we are in a colloquy or conversation with the Spirit, asking what Spirit wants us to see or know or understand regarding these words or phrases that are lingering for us.
Contemplatio- Now it is time to just be still. We listen longer for anything else the Spirit wants to show. We have a posture of gratitude for this encounter and we just take some time to stay in this moment, seeing the gaze of Love upon us. We soak in the experience of Love loving us, as we are, as His child.
If you are listening to the Voiceover, I’m going to help you practice Lectio Divina by reading 2 Corinthians 1:8-11. I have used the J.B. Phillips New Testament version. However, if you are not using the Voiceover, merely read through the passage three times, taking a pause in between to practice lectio (read), meditation (meditate), and oratio (pray). Then finish with contemplatio (contemplate).
This passage goes well with our liturgy for today, so let’s see if we can mine a few more gems before we go our Sabbath way today.
Each time I read it, I will pause for you to interact with the verse via the steps above.
“At that time we were completely overwhelmed, the burden was more than we could bear, in fact we told ourselves that this was the end. Yet we believe now that we had this experience of coming to the end of our tether that we might learn to trust, not in ourselves, but in God who can raise the dead. It was God who preserved us from imminent death, and it is he who still preserves us.”
Simple Sunday Liturgy #11