Walking with Souls: The Holy Art of Spiritual Guidance
Foundations of Christian Spiritual Guidance
Spiritual direction is one of the most sought-after practices within Christian spirituality and 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 of spiritual formation, its gift is profound: it invites you to listen more attentively to God’s voice and become more attuned to His real presence. This series on spiritual direction and guidance will provide a brief introduction and orientation, whether you're seeking spiritual direction for your own growth or sensing a calling to guide others into a deeper awareness of God’s presence.
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Today: Spiritual Direction and Spiritual Hunger
Spiritual hunger is now officially a thing—it’s here, and it’s undeniable! Desire is nothing new for us humans. We are consumed by desires—some small, some vast, some holy. Our very essence is shaped by them. We sometimes wander and suffer too long in some low place due to misplaced and misunderstood longings, yet the truth is inescapable: we are creatures driven by insatiable desire.
What is recent is the way spiritual longing and desire has become mainstream in our culture. Recent data shows this to be the case:
You can see that this is recent—the data was gathering in October, 2022. The most important data line is the top one: Would like to grow spiritually. You can see that 75% of each reporting generation reports high levels of spiritual hunger.
There are a number of reasons behind this explosive rise in spiritual hunger—and here’s the first: we’ve been living in an age where every imaginable shallow, fleeting desire has been handed to us on a silver platter. We’ve indulged ourselves, drinking deeply from these shallow wells, and yet, with every sip, we've only grown thirstier for Something greater. This isn’t new; it’s the eternal human story. History shows that after we’ve chased after the empty promises of lesser desires, we always awaken to the painful truth: they can never truly satisfy us. And now, once again, the hunger for something deeper is undeniable. This is what Bernard of Clairvaux (1090—1153) reported more than a millenium ago:
God alone can satisfy our desires…A well-dressed person wants more expensive clothes. A rich person envies anyone richer than himself. You can find men who already own farms and have great possessions, still striving, day in and day out, to add another field to their estates. They remodel homes already fit for kings. See their restless ambition for promotion and honors. The reason there is never any relaxing end to all this gathering and climbing is because none of these objects can be considered the highest or the best. While enjoying wealth, you keep searching for something you still lack. You run back and forth from one pleasure to another, getting tired, but never satisfied. Who can own everything? Whatever you cling to, you are surely going to lose one day. You are running down a twisting road and you will die before you reach the end of it. Eventually we will have to say, “There is none upon earth that I desire besides Thee.”1
Here’s the second: God’s desire for deep communion with us is awakening spiritual hunger in us. It is not inappropriate for us to talk about “our” spiritual hunger. But let me borrow some words from Thomas Kelly to place the emphasis where it belongs. Here is what Kelly writes:
What we are witnessing in this spike in spiritual hunger “is the drama of the lost sheep wandering in the wilderness, restless and lonely, feebly searching, while over the hills comes the wiser Shepherd. For His is a shepherd’s heart, and He is restless until He holds His sheep in His arms. It is the drama of the Eternal Father drawing the prodigal home unto Himself, where there is bread enough and to spare. It is the drama of the Double Search…and always the chief actor is the Eternal God of Love…Ever throughout the drama the accent will be laid upon God, God the initiator, God the aggressor, God the seeker, God the stirrer into life, God the giver of the power to become children of God.”2
Spiritual guidance is not happening in some dry, barren desert today. No, we are in the midst of a profound spiritual awakening, and this holds some implications for spiritual guides. First and foremost: if a spiritual guide isn’t hungry for God themselves, their credibility in this vibrant spiritual climate will collapse. As the Psalmist said, 'Deep calls to deep'—but let’s adapt it for today: 'Deep recognizes deep.' Those who are spiritually starved will recognize the hunger within a true guide, and they will respect it. A spiritual guide must not only be hungry, but must embody that hunger at a level that others can feel. Without this desire for a deeper life with God throbbing in the heart of a spiritual guide, no true guidance can emerge. Full stop.
Second, spiritual guides are not just a luxury—they are a gift the church desperately needs right now. Let’s face it: the traditional methods of the modern western church are failing to meet the deep spiritual hunger people are carrying. In fact, according to Grey Matter Research, 88% of Christians in U.S. churches haven't progressed beyond the toddler stage of spiritual growth. Think about that: the majority of churchgoers who carry real spiritual hunger deep within are stuck, spiritually stagnant. Churches may do many good things, but they’re not speaking to the deeper longings of the heart, either within their walls or beyond them. What’s missing? Men and women who are on a path to a richer, deeper life with Jesus—those who know how to guide others through the inner journey to an authentic, transformative connection with God. These spiritual guides will meet a critical, unmet need in today’s church—and they will spark a movement.
Third, spiritual guides must not only lead seekers into deeper communion with God, but also into a profound investigation of capital-T Truth. In this era of spiritual hunger, many have turned spirituality into a DIY experiment—a grab bag of spiritual experiences with no true anchor. That’s not surprising. Many have lost the solid scaffolding of spiritual truth, adrift without a framework. But the deeper we journey with God, the greater the chance to become clearer about His nature and identity. As a hungry spiritual guides leads a hungry spiritual seeker into a deeper life with God, truth about God and His ways will be discovered. This discovery will not just fill brain cells with greater knowledge about God, it will awaken our hunger for an even deeper connection with God.
This is a moment of awakening. What an extraordinary time to be spiritually alive. God is raising up a movement of spiritual guides for this time—for those who are ready to awaken to the deeper truths of the divine. The movement is happening now, and the call is urgent.
Questions or comments?
Tomorrow: Spiritual Direction and Spiritual Practices
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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.
Bernard, “On Loving God,” https://www.ccel.org/ccel/bernard/loving_god.ix.html
Thomas Kelly, A Testament of Devotion (New York: Harper & Row, 1941), 51-52.