Our Hearing Problem
Our fourth-grader recently inquired, “Why did you and Mom discipline me so much when I was younger?” Don’t worry. We weren’t abusive parents. And Jacob wasn’t a trouble child. It’s just that, in comparison to his older sister, Jacob required a little more “motivation” early on in order to get him to stop bad behaviors and start desired deeds. We could unintentionally break his sister’s heart with a firm “No!” But it took an earthquake to even get Jacob’s attention.
One of Jacob’s chief challenges was listening. Without any doubt, his ears performed perfectly. When we asked him to do something (e.g., “Jacob, please make your bed”; “Jacob, please quit bouncing that ball in the house”) the sound-waves of our words played their intended tune on his ear drums. They bounced their way into his brain. In spite of this, that bed remained unmade. That ball kept bouncing.
Jacob heard us. But he didn’t really hear us.
This, it appears, is not only a common struggle for spirited elementary-aged boys. It is also one of the most common struggles for those of us desiring deeper spiritual lives. In her book When the Soul Listens, Jan Johnson surveys situations in Scripture when certain people were praised and other characters were condemned. And the primary thing separating those commended from those critiqued was their ability or willingness to hear God.[1] For example, God scolded Israel in Is. 42:20 – “He sees many things, but does not observe them; his ears are open, but he does not hear.” Jesus repeatedly invited “If anyone has ears, let him hear” (e.g., Mk. 4). The Bible is filled with appeals to hear God and admonitions against not hearing God. It’s not that people are physically deaf and they are being invited to receive auditory healing. Their ears perform perfectly. When God speaks or writes his words wind up in their brains.
They hear God. But they don’t really hear God.
Jesus diagnoses his audience in his Sermon on the Mount with this very problem. Repeatedly, Jesus says, “You have heard…but I say to you” (e.g., Matt. 5:21-22; 27-28; 31-32). In many of these cases, Jesus is referring to a specific Scripture which his listeners knew well. They had read this particular Scripture. Studied it. Dissected it. Memorized it. Quoted it. But they hadn’t really heard it. They understood the letter of the law. But they remained deaf to the spirit of the law. What Jesus attempts to do in his Sermon on the Mount is get us to hear God once more. Really hear.
Hearing God Through Lectio Divina
Thankfully, there is an ancient method which can empower us to do this very thing. The early Christians discovered a way to listen closely to God. They believed Scripture was not merely a record of what God had once said. They trusted it was also the record of what God was now saying. To them the Bible was not a dusty diary of words God spoke to other people in past times. It was a living log of words God was speaking to them at the present time. And one specific approach enabled them to hear God through the text. The practice is called lectio divina (pronounced lex-ee-o dih-vee-nah). The phrase literally means holy or sacred reading.
While its roots run deep in both Old and New Testaments,[2] lectio divina was popularized by a man named Saint Benedict (ca 480-550).[3] While attending school in Rome, Benedict became appalled at the sin running rampant throughout the ancient city. He determined to create an opportunity for people to experience a different life–an existence free from the epidemic of evil and filled with the countermeasure of consecration. Benedict retreated to a village, attracted bands of people dissatisfied with their spiritual status quo, organized them into monasteries and created a guide for their living called The Rule of St. Benedict (published ca 540). This guide spelled out the three primary activities through which people could enter into a life of sanctity and piety: prayer, work, and lectio divina. Benedict believed that one of the most fundamental ways to lead people into the deeper life of the Spirit was guide them into a consistent practice of lectio divina. Why? Because it was one of the best ways of enabling people to hear God. Really hear God. And Benedict believed if people could truly listen to God, they would be forever changed.
What Benedict popularized, a man named Guigo II systematized (ca. 1115-1198).[4] In one of his books Guigo described the four rungs of a ladder by which people could be “lifted up from the earth into heaven.” These four steps allowed an individual to listen deeply to God through lectio divina: 1) lectio (lex-ee-o), 2) meditatio (med-ita-tsee-o), 3) oratio (o-ra-tsee-o) and 4) contemplatio (con-tem-pla-tsee-o). Participation in each of these four activities would open up spiritual ears and enable us to hear what the living God is saying to us today. I’ve reworded these four steps below as 1) read, 2) reflect, 3) respond and 4) rest.
Take Ten
Take ten minutes today to experience this ancient practice. Through faith, trust that as you move through the four steps of lectio divina, you will hear God communicating to you in new and fresh ways.
- Read – Lectio involves reading Scripture. First, select a biblical text. Choose one that is just a few verses in length. Before reading it, get into a comfortable position and maintain silence for several minutes. This prepares your heart to listen. Now, read the text slowly. Savor each word. To help you hear every sentence and through, consider reading it out loud. When finished, read it two or three additional times. As you slowly read, be sensitive for one word or a phrase that sticks out and begs for more of your attention. Your goal is to hear one word or phrase that speaks to you or that piques your interest. Keep reading until this word or phrase comes to you.
- Reflect – In meditatio you now reflect on this word or phrase. Slowly repeat the word or phrase that has caught your attention. Meditate on it. Chew on it. If you keep a journal, write the word or phrase there. Ask questions of it: “Why did this word or phrase catch my attention?”; “What is it about my life that needs to hear this word today?” Your goal is to identify why God has placed this word or phrase on your heart and what God may be asking you to do or be through it. Is he calling for some action? Is he requiring some repentance? Is he granting some insight? Is he highlighting a reason for praise?
- Respond – In oratio you respond to what you’ve heard from God. By means of the word or phrase you’ve identified God has spoken to you. Now, you speak to Him. If God has convicted you of sin, respond with prayerful repentance. If God has given you a new understanding about something, respond with prayerful gratitude. If God has called you to action, respond with a verbal commitment to begin the action.
- Rest – Finally, in contemplatio, you rest. Just as you began with a few moments of silence, so now finish this heavenly conversation with a few moments of silence. Rest quietly in the grace and presence of God.
[1] Jan Johnson When the Soul Listens (NavPress, 1999), 52 (Deut. 29:4; Ps. 115:6; 135:17; Prov. 20:12; Is. 6:10; 30:21; 32:3; 42:20; Jer. 5:21; 6:10; 9:20; Ez. 12:2; 40:4; Matt. 11:15; 13:9, 15-16, 43; Mk. 4:9, 23; 8:18; Lk. 8:8; 14:35; Acts 28:27; Rom. 11:8)
[2] See Richard Foster Celebration of Discipline 20th Anniversary Edition (Harper SanFrancisco, 1998), 15-17.
[3] Tony Jones The Sacred Way, (Zondervan, 2005), 48.
[4] Jones, 49-50.
