Praying the Bible – The Wrestling of Lectio Divina

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 5:05 pm by Guest Contributor

Praying the Bible – The Wrestling of Lectio Divina 2015-03-13T17:05:01-05:00 Guest Contributor

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Praying the Bible

Intro – lectio divina – reading – meditating – praying – contemplating

In the movie The Apostle, Robert Duvall plays Sonny, a preacher-evangelist who has made a few mistakes in his life, one of them a big mistake (murder). About one-third of the way into the movie, he’s trying to figure out why these things have happened to him and why he showed such weakness in dealing with difficult circumstances. Estranged from his wife and children, he’s staying in the attic at his mother’s house, and he’s making a lot of noise in the middle of the night. A neighbor calls to ask Sonny’s mom what all the noise is about, and she responds, “Ever since he was a little boy, sometimes he talks to the Lord and sometimes he yells at him. Tonight he just happens to be yelling.”

The image of Sonny pacing back and forth in his mother’s attic, shouting at God–and in some ways shouting at himself–is a powerful image of prayer. It caught me off guard the first time I saw it, because it seemed so irreverent, so disrespectful of God. Most of us were brought up to think that God demands our respect, and he does, but that doesn’t mean we always need to be subdued.

Have you noticed how some people talk in normal voices until the moment they begin to pray? Then they’ll suddenly lower their voices to a whisper. This is, I suppose, a way to show reverence and respect, the way you might talk to a king or a president whom you fear. Although this may be an appropriate way to approach God at times, it seems like this is the way you approach a father who’s waiting to give you a smack with a wooden spoon, not a father who’s going to hug you, wrap you in the finest cloak, and throw you a banquet.

This is why I appreciate Sonny’s prayer in the attic. He’s got nothing to hide from God, because God already knows his every thought. He’s frustrated with God, upset by the way things are going in his life, and he’s not going to hide that fact. He wants to work these things out with God, and he’s honest enough to let God have it, to get in God’s face. He knows God can handle it.

We find a biblical example of a heated exchange between God and a man in Exodus 32. It’s pure speculation to guess how it all went down between Moses and God on Mount Sinai, but the tone of the recorded conversation between the two is not exactly calm. “Stop your anger,” Moses says to God, “Think twice” (verse 12). Ultimately, God changes God’s mind as a result of Moses’ urgent pleadings: “And God did think twice. He decided not to do the evil he had threatened against his people” (verse 14). Of course, when Moses descends the mountain, he finds the Israelites partying around a golden calf, and God changes his mind back to the punishment of the evildoers.

After an unbelievable string of calamities, Job gets feisty with God, too. He’s lost everything when he finally breaks his faithful silence:

Why does God bother giving light to the miserable,
    why bother keeping bitter people alive,
    Those who want in the worst way to die, and can’t,
    who can’t imagine anything better than death,
    Who count the day of their death and burial
    the happiest day of their life?
    What’s the point of life when it doesn’t make sense,
    when God blocks all the roads to meaning? (Job 3:20-23)

Biblical and non-biblical examples abound of praying with ardor and vehemence. In fact, our willingness to really and deeply engage God in fervent prayer may well be an indication of how seriously we take our relationship with God.

If you want to read more, I invite you to check out Divine Intervention: Encountering God through the Ancient Practice of Lectio Divina.

bible

Prayer

spirituality

Previous Post

May 21, 2009

Praying the Bible - The Meditation of Lectio Divina

Next Post

May 22, 2009 Should Christian Leaders Be Outed?

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category bible blogging books christianity in america church church history dissertation divorce Dog Training education emergent church essay family funny glbt jopa productions ministry minnesota movies music parenting philosophy politics Prayer publishing Questions That Haunt random same sex marriage speaking spirituality Teaching technology television theology Travels Uncategorized writing youth ministry

Select a Month January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 June 2006 May 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 June 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 August 2004 February 2004 January 2004

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What is the Bible's advice on friendships?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Bad company corrupts good character Choose many friends Never have friends Trust anyone