“When you read the Bible, God speaks to you; when you pray, you speak to God. Meditate, then, on His Word and make it your prayer.” –Augustine of Hippo
Psalm 1:1-4 NIV
Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.
Scripture is to be read and .
“Meditate” = הגה (hā·ḡā) Lit. To mutter, moan, growl, muse
Meditating isn’t your mind, it’s filling it with profound .
The goal of reading the Word is not to acquire information about God but to respond to Him as a living, present Person—this is the essence of spiritual reading. –Eugene Peterson (Eat this Book)
Genesis 4:1-12 NIV
Adam made love to his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, “With the help of the Lord I have brought forth a man.” Later she gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast. Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.” Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” “I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?” The Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground. Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.”
The Bible’s forces us to wrestle with its .
Deuteronomy 8:2-3 NIV
Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.
Matthew 4:1-4 NIV
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Scripture us over time, us to live vibrantly, and face difficult .
The Bible is a lifelong , not a one-time .
Simple Lectio—
1. (lectio)
Slowly read a passage aloud.
2. (meditation)
Focus on a phrase or portion that stands out.
3. (oratio)
Pray or journal your thoughts and emotions.
4. (contemplation)
Sit in God’s presence and allow the truth to sink in.
reveals .
By training ourselves to hear God’s voice where it’s easiest—in the Bible—we gradually learn to hear his voice everywhere else as well. When we root ourselves in Scripture, the whole of creation becomes God’s mouthpiece. —Pete Greig
The Bible isn’t just meant to be —it’s meant to be .
Answer Key: designed, prayerfully, meditatively; emptying, mind, truth; ambiguity, implications; forms, equipping, challenges; Read; Reflect; Respond; Rest; Repetition, riches; read, lived