Walking with Souls: The Holy Art of Spiritual Direction
Foundations of Christian spiritual direction
Spiritual direction is one of the most sought-after practices in Christian spirituality, and it plays a vital role in the process of spiritual formation. Rooted in various streams of Christian tradition, this biblical practice helps cultivate a deeper awareness of God’s presence and a clearer discernment of His work in our daily lives. As a transformative practice, spiritual direction invites us to listen more attentively to God’s voice and become more attuned to His real presence.
This series on spiritual direction and guidance is designed to offer a brief introduction and orientation, whether you're seeking spiritual direction for your own growth or sensing a calling to guide others toward a deeper awareness of God’s presence. Previous posts in this series include:
February 21: Spiritual Direction and Spiritual Practices
February 20: Spiritual Direction and Deeper Awareness of the Presence of God
February 14: Spiritual Direction and Spiritual Hunger
February 13: Spiritual Direction and Sabbathing/Rest
February 12: Spiritual Direction as Soul Care
February 11: Spiritual Direction as a Biblical Practice
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Today: Spiritual Direction and Lectio Divina
The real power of the practice of spiritual direction is the way it helps us discover and pay attention to what God is up to in our lives. There are a set of contemplative practices that are uncannily effective in slowing us down, opening our spiritual eyes, and helping us pay attention to the leading and direction of God. Lectio divina is one of the practices. The method of Lectio Divina has often been mixed into my offerings here on The Compass or on The Trailhead podast, such as HERE, HERE, and HERE. I also showed a few days ago how my own spiritual guide used a form of Lectio Divina to help me through a confusing moment. If you missed that, you can find it HERE.
Lectio divina is a foundational practice in how I guide others through spiritual direction, helping them deepen their awareness of God's presence and activity in their lives. It’s a powerful, contemplative approach to Scripture that I find not only deeply enriching in one-on-one settings but also incredibly effective in group spiritual direction.
As I guide gathered communities in worship, I often reflect on whether there’s space for the whole group to engage in this practice. While it may not always feel right for every situation, I remain open to the possibility, carefully discerning if it would help those present to encounter God more profoundly in that moment. You can see that Lectio Divina is something I hold with great importance and it won’t surprise you to know that in the spiritual direction training program I’m launching in one month, it will be a core discipline embedded into the training.
Here are 5 reasons why the church has valued Lectio Divina for so long:
Lectio Divina creates a space for the Holy Spirit to reclaim His rightful place as the true and trustworthy guide in our lives. In His final words, Jesus emphasized the vital role of the Spirit, saying, “The Spirit will guide you into all truth” (John 16:13). Unfortunately, in some contexts, the Holy Spirit has been overlooked, and in others, His guiding role has been overshadowed by human voices or teachings. Some traditions may focus on other aspects of the Spirit’s work while sidelining His primary role as our guide. Lectio divina challenges these limitations by opening a path for the Holy Spirit to once again take the lead in directing us, inviting us to listen attentively to His voice and follow His guidance in truth.
Lectio divina excels at slowing us down. One of the first lessons in spiritual direction is the importance of slowing down our lives. In the fast pace of today’s world, we easily become lost. Lectio divina is a beautiful gift in that it invites us into a slow, deliberate reading of a small portion of Scripture—nothing like a speed read. The goal isn’t to rush through the passage in order to move on with life. Instead, it is to linger, reading each word slowly and attentively. The aim isn’t to consume large sections of Scripture, as with a Bible-in-a-year reading plan. While that approach has its place, lectio divina offers something richer: an opportunity to savor a few words from the Living God, reading them deeply and slowly, allowing them to nourish our souls.
Lectio Divina invites us into a rich, multi-dimensional experience of Scripture. There are moments when your mind is fully engaged, analyzing the words—looking at verbs, nouns, and the structure. Then, your imagination takes over, and you begin to visualize the scene, almost as an artist seeing the story come to life. As you read, the focus shifts again, and you suddenly find yourself in the story, realizing these aren’t just ancient words—they’re living words, written for you in this moment. Often, though not always, this creates a deep, emotional impact. You start out reading the words, and before you know it, the words have been reading you. This can stir powerful feelings. The beauty of Lectio Divina is that it's not about moving through these layers in a specific order, but rather about allowing the practice to unfold naturally. More often than not, it opens up new, personal ways of encountering God's voice through just a few words.
Lectio Divina transforms our vantage point. In conventional Bible reading, we often approach Scripture like standing outside a window, looking in at ancient words and struggling to see their relevance in our modern world. But Lectio Divina takes us by the hand and walks with us inside the Scripture story we are reading. Previously, we were foreigners to the story, analyzing it centuries later. But Lectio Divina is not impressed with that analytical, 21st century method of reading scripture. Taking us inside the scripture, we find ourselves no longer looking in at scripture from afar, but looking out at our lives and situations. As we linger, we begin to look outward, seeing our own lives and the world around us through new eyes. When this shift occurs, transformation is often just moments away!
Want to try Lectio Divina?
Let’s give it a try. You need no fancy degree for Lectio Divina. It is just Latin for Divina Reading, or Sacred Reading. With its emphasis, the chances are high that you will encounter the Divine God as you read the words that God has given us in scripture. Because this may likely happen, each time you read scripture in this manner can be a sacred encounter with God. Here are four simple steps that are usually connected to Lectio Divina readings of scripture:
Read: Carefully reading a short passage of scripture, paying attention to key words and images. For this practice session, read this sentence from Colossians 2:6-7. Read it three or four times, pausing to rest and take some breathes between each reading. The goal as you pause between readings is to be a little more present in the words the next time you read. It will take a few readings to get past rushing while you read.
Meditate/Reflect: Christian meditation is simply the act of reflecting slowly on what you've read. Something in the text likely caught your attention—linger on that. Let yourself wonder about it, and pay attention to any thoughts or feelings that arise as you reflect. It can be helpful to write down what you’re seeing, thinking, or feeling. If you have an artistic bent, you might even find yourself sketching what you've discovered.
Pray: The next step is prayer. But this is not a formal prayer—it's spontaneous and conversational. God has started a dialogue with you through these words in Scripture. He spoke first, initiating the conversation. You've taken the time to reflect on His word, and now it’s your turn to respond. You might have questions like, “What is it about me that You, in Your great love, chose to reveal this to me?” Or perhaps your response will be words of gratitude, or maybe you’ll have concerns or confusions. All are appropriate, as you’re engaging in a true conversation at the deepest level—deep calling to deep.
Rest: This final step is just as important, if not more so, than the previous ones. In this step, you refuse to rush back into the busyness and noise of life. You remain silent, doing nothing except abiding in God’s presence. When I take the time to fully embrace this moment, without rushing through, I always find that I receive deeper and more abundant grace.
Your thoughts, comments, and questions, about this experiment are welcome!
Tomorrow: Spiritual Direction and the Spiritual Practice of Silence and Solitude
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If you have more questions about spiritual direction as a Christian spiritual formation practice, or are interested in how to become a spiritual guide, I’d love to engage in a converation with you.