Is Lectio Divina Normal Meditation? Plus, Tips To Encounter God

Meditating is healthy, good, and beneficial. But not all meditation practices are created equal. Not all are biblical. Normal meditation practices, while helpful, can also be dangerous for Christians. So, we need to consider whether or not Lectio Divina is a normal meditation practice.

Lectio Divina is not the same as what one would call “normal” meditation. Lectio Divina is a type of meditation rooted in a prayerful reading of Scripture. However, “normal” or secular meditation can take different forms and may not have a religious context at all.

What is Lectio Divina?

Lectio Divina is a method of experiencing the Bible in way that you encounter God through a prayerful and slow reading of a selected text. It was first created by Catholic monks in the middle ages, but has since found popularity throughout denominations.

If you are interested in its history, then you should check out these posts that discuss the origins of Lectio Divina as well as the Protestant history and interactions with Lectio Divina. You’ll discover the long and rich history of the meditative practice within Christianity and why it is still beneficial today.

Lectio Divina is a way to prayerfully and meditatively experience the Bible. It typically has four steps. These steps will take a person from reading to resting in God’s word and presence. Oftentimes, Scripture is read between each step. The four steps are:

• Read
• Meditate
• Pray
• Rest

These steps focus on contemplating and meditating on Scripture. Something the Bible is clear that we should be doing. Time and time again we see the call to meditate on God’s word day and night. This continual pondering of God’s word leads to a deeper appreciation of God and His work in our lives.

If you are curious about how exactly Lectio Divina works, then you’ll want to read this article that will walk you through each step of Lectio Divina and show you exactly how it’s done. Plus, there are even free worksheets at the end that you can use if you want to adopt Lectio Divina into your Bible study habit.

Now that we know a little bit about Lectio Divina, what about other meditation practices? Is Lectio Divina a normal meditation practice? How does it differ from typical meditation methods? Let’s find out.

Lectio Divina is Not Normal Meditation

Before we can determine whether Lectio Divina is a normal meditation practice, we need to define what a normal meditation practice is. Normal meditation practices are those that come to mind when you first hear the word meditation. Often these are stereotypes of meditation practices.

The Oxford Dictionary defines meditation as,

To think deeply or focus one’s mind for a period of time, in silence or with the aid of chanting, for religious or spiritual purposes or as a method of relaxation.

Oxford Dictionary

That means that normal meditation can include things like Eastern meditation practices as well as secular views on meditation. Let’s take a brief look at each one.

Eastern Transcendental Meditation

Eastern transcendental meditation focuses on creating inner peace and spiritual renewal by repeating a mantra or word as the mind settles and a person is transcended into a higher state. Leave behind the world of suffering and emotions to enter a higher level of spiritual existence.

That’s the draw of eastern meditation. Some, meditation practices in the east use mantras to do that. While others use mantras to summon gods through incantations. This practice of transcendental meditation has its roots in Hinduism.

As such, it is often considered a religious type of meditation. And it does have some similarities to Christian religious prayer practices that may include a repeated word or prescribed posture. For example, the idea of centering prayer.

Want to know what centering prayer is, then you should check out this article that contrasts centering prayer with Lectio Divina. Centering prayer can be beneficial as a means of entering the right mindset to pray or study the Bible, but its similarities to transcendental meditation also make it dangerous.

The Bible says nothing about transcendental meditation. But it does make clear that our meditation should be focused on the God’s word. Biblical meditation is not about emptying ourselves, rather its about filling ourselves with God’s Word.

But what about secular meditation practices?

Secular Meditation

Secular meditation practices include things like: mindfulness meditation, loving-kindness meditation, and deep breathing exercises. These practices typically focus on staying present, dealing with emotions, self-discovery, or reducing stress.

As such, some secular meditation techniques are compatible with the Bible. That said, they do have their roots in Buddhism. Also, secular meditation practices tend to focus on the self, rather than God’s word like Lectio Divina.

However, it is not a sin to practice some secular meditation techniques so long as they are compatible with Scripture. We must also remember that it is God who completely satisfies our needs. It is the Holy Spirit who bears peace in our lives. And we can go to God with any emotions that we are dealing with.

Though, if we approach secular meditation as an end all be all approach to self discovery and fulfillment, that is not biblical. To do that is to leave out the One who created us, who knows us best, and who loves us most.

So, Lectio Divina is not a normal meditation practice. Though, it may include common mediation techniques it is entirely different. Why? Because Lectio Divina uses God’s Word as the foundation of contemplation.

In Lectio Divina we use Scripture as a mirror seeking to discover who we really are in light of the supremacy of God. It is through His word we encounter Him and discover who we are meant to be. This use of Scripture in meditating makes all the difference. After all, it’s sharper than a two-edged sword.

Biblical Tips for Encountering God

Now that we’ve discovered some of the differences between Lectio Divina and normal meditation practices, how can we encounter God though meditation biblically? What are some ways we can biblically encounter God?

Here are some ideas that you can use to begin or fold into your scriptural meditation practices.

• Memorize. Write a verse on an index card and work on memorizing it. This gives you the opportunity to ponder a verse over and over. So, it’s a form of meditation.
• Repeat. Similar to the first idea, this one involves reading over and over. For example, on the morning I was writing this I spent 10 minutes reading Psalm 1 over and over.
• Other than meditating on Scripture, you can go outside and meditate on God’s glory in nature. Take a short road trip and admire God’s handiwork.
• Try Lectio Divina. Lectio Divina is an ancient Christian meditative practice that seeks to bring you closer to God through a prayerful reading of Scripture.
• Consider praying the Psalms. Doing this, you take psalm and read the first verse. Then pray whatever comes to your mind after reading that verse. Usually, it is connected in some way. Then keep going verse by verse until you are done with the psalm.
• Do some Bible Journaling. Bible journaling is a way to reflect on Scripture. It can help you better understand a biblical passage and increase your expectation of encountering God.

Here are some practical tips that will help you get the most out of meditating on Scripture.

• Know the Bible: Bible study helps with meditation. The more we know the Bible the more we can see how things fit together. We can follow a thread through the Bible, and weave it into our daily life. Biblical literacy matters when it comes to meditating on Scripture. Without knowing the Bible we open ourselves up to misunderstanding, poor application, and at worse unbiblical living.
• Get alone with God: This goes back to solitude and silence. When we are still in the busyness of life we rest on God’s sovereignty. Our hearts and minds begin to turn to Him and His Word.
• Read aloud: I would encourage you to read aloud to yourself. Recall how the ancient Israelites would mutter Scripture to themselves. Let’s follow their example and speak Scripture into our hearts.
• Breathe: Meditation is meant to slow us down and give us time to measure ourselves against Scripture. So, take your time and breathe.
• Start with Psalms: As you can see from the list of verses above, meditation is mentioned all throughout the book of Psalms. That’s what psalms are songs and meditations on God’s character and word. This makes the book of Psalms a great place to begin learning to meditate biblically.