The Message Prayerful Reading Bible Sampler - Flipbook - Page 8
L ectio D ivina : A n I ntrod u ction
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to us or manageable by us—we want to get in on the great invisibles of the
Trinity, the soaring adorations of the angels, the quirky cragginess of the
prophets, and . . . Jesus.
Lectio divina is a way of life that develops “according to the Scriptures.” It
is not just a skill that we exercise when we have a Bible open before us but a
life congruent with the Word made flesh to which the Scriptures give witness.
The Letter to the Hebrews tells us that the word of God originated when “going
through a long line of prophets, God [spoke to] our ancestors in different ways
for centuries. Recently he spoke to us directly through his Son. . . . It’s crucial
that we keep a firm grip on what we’ve heard” (Hebrews 1:1-2; 2:1). These are
spoken words delivered to us by “pioneers who blazed the way” (Hebrews 12:1)
and now rewritten in our Holy Scriptures. It is the task of lectio divina to get
those words heard and listened to, words written in ink now rewritten in blood.
—Eugene H. Peterson
Excerpted from Eat This Book: A Conversation in the Art of Spiritual Reading