Lectio Divina and Musica Divina Prayer

I am going to discuss Lectio first, because it is foundational to understanding Musica.

This is a spiritual practice I do every other day or two to three times a week.  I do this practice after centering because I seem to hear God easier after centering.

Lectio Divina is a method of prayer that is rooted in the Hebrew approach to the scriptures. Not everyone read scriptures , at that time, but everyone had the opportunity to Listen and uncover individually,  the deeper meaning for themselves.

This NOT informational listening. It’s about listening with the ears of my heart.

It is a deeper reflection of the Word or spiritual reading that gives personal insight from God.  It is something I chew on throughout the day or week.  

I am going to discuss, why, how and when as I did with Centering prayer.

Why:

I desire a more intimate relationship with God and I’ve learned that He desires the same with me. Yeah!! 

In any relationship, it’s about getting to know each other and since He created me, He has the edge (Lol).

God wants to comfort, encourage, strengthen and give His Love to me.  I must be willing to Receive it. This process enables me to hear something specific to me that provides clarity about something I didn’t know, I didn’t know.

Example: on 8/10/2018, I read a few words of a scripture and I learned in that moment what God was saying to me. 

I wrote ” you are telling me that all of these trials and temptations are here to test my faith because that is what has to be strengthened “.

2018 was a nightmare year, husband’s colon was destroyed by a tumor, and money was low because I wasn’t working at full steam, I had a lot of irons in the fire of projects God put on my heart and my go to of overeating was a challenging my serenity.

The Lectio reveal gave me clarity in that time as well as comfort and encouragement.

How:

In order for this to work effectively, there has to be trust. Trust in God. Belief that He wants to and will speak to me. Preparation is Honesty, Willingness, and Openheartedness = HOW.

1. Lectio: 

Listening with the ear of my heart.

This means reading the paragraph or verse with an ear to the words or phrase that stand out for me.  I Write them (it’s like noticing them) and chew on them for about 2 minutes.

2. Meditatio

I Read the paragraph or verse a second time,

I Reflect with trust and openness 

I Write what God is telling me. 

I write for 2 minutes

3. Oratio

I Read the paragraph or verse a third time.

I Respond with gratitude, praising God and asking for increased faith. 

I write my response for 2 minutes.

4. Contemplatio

I read the paragraph or verse a 4th time.

I rest in God with confidence and faith

I rest about 2 minutes.

When

As previously stated, I practice this prayer every other day.  I could do it it once a week or everyday but it’s about Faithfulness to the commitment of prayer.

Spiritual practices are to bring me into the intimacy that I crave so deeply for God.

How about you?  Try it!

You can do the same steps with a piece of music.

Resource:

The Transforming power of Lectio Divina by 

Maria Tasto