Lectio Divina

Saturday morning, our speaker Ken read the story of Mary and Martha from Luke 10:38-42, using lectio divina. It's Latin for "holy reading," and it's a way of studying God's Word like the monks used to. It involves reading through the passage out loud and waiting for a word or phrase to "shimmer" at you. Each time you read it, you think about why that word or phrase drew your focus.

The phrase that caught my notice was "listening to what He said." As someone who is very independent, I do my best to listen to advice from others, but I dislike having anyone tell me what to do. But God doesn't suggest what's best for me because he knows.

I reflected on this as I took communion. God has blessed me in so many ways this summer, and all He wants me to do is listen to Him. I was so skeptical of being on the worship team and leading a small group, but all that apprehension was for nothing. One of my realizations at this retreat is that God understands me better than I understand myself, including what I am capable of doing. If God calls me to do something, He will give me what I need to carry out His will. Because if God is for me, what can stand against me?