The Lectio Courseনমুনা

Read: Hearing God in the Bible

The Bible teaches and history shows that human beings have an extraordinary, innate ability that animals don’t: a unique capacity to hear the voice of God because we are uniquely made in his image, designed to enjoy a conversational relationship with our creator.

So, let’s turn to the Bible story of Christ’s encounter with the two men on the road to Emmaus. It is a masterclass for anyone seeking to learn to hear his voice. Jesus has appeared incognito, risen from the dead, and he’s drawn the two men into conversation. We pick up the story in Luke 24:27 where we’re told that "beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he [Jesus] explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself…" Then a little later, after they’ve finally worked out who he is, verse 32 says, "'They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”’

The resurrection of Christ from the dead is categorically the ultimate miracle. But instead of showing up dramatically and saying, "It’s me!", Jesus leads the men through an in-depth Bible study. Even after his resurrection, Jesus looks to the scriptures–not experience–as his ultimate source of authority.

So let me say this as clearly as I possibly can: when it comes to hearing God, the Bible is the primary way in which he speaks. It is the very language of his heart. Learning to hear God’s voice begins with the Bible.

One of our problems with the Bible is that we’ve been told to read it but never taught how to pray it. We may study it like a textbook, but we don’t interact with it devotionally, relationally, and conversationally. And this is, of course, where Lectio Divina comes in. By approaching the text prayerfully using imagination and seeking conversation rather than information, it becomes exciting, surprising, challenging, and moving. The Bible comes to life.

The Bible is a masterpiece. It’s important to study it like a great work of art, to admire its many intricacies, to consider its context, and to try to make sense of its meaning. However, the invitation is not just to look at the text but to look through the text at everything else. Lectio Divina is a way of viewing God’s world through God’s Word—the whole of life through the life of Christ.

This is precisely the approach Jesus himself teaches in today's Bible story. On the road to Emmaus, he explains "what was said in all the scriptures concerning himself." In other words, he teaches us to interpret the Bible in the light of himself! His life, death, and resurrection reframes everything. Theologians call this the Christological hermeneutic. It means that we put on a pair of "Jesus glasses" when we approach God’s Word. We read the Bible not just to study the truth about God in the past, but to encounter Jesus Christ who is the Truth, alive and well today.

It's so important to remember that the Word of God is first and foremost a person and only secondly a book. Our relationship is with the living Word of God in Jesus, through the written Word of God in the Bible, and not the other way around.