As I began to read Madame Guyon's devotional I wasn't drawn in right away. I wondered if continuing on was worth it, but the reading was only a handful of pages so I did. And I realized that what was so good about it was that it is so simple. I say simple not meaning plain or boring, but that she is short and to the point. I grew to appreciate her style as I don't read much that is written in this way. I found this her devotional very practical.
She discussed what she called, "two ways to meet Jesus". The first is praying the Scripture. It reminded me of lectio divina in many ways, and was good to hear again. The second way she discussed she called beholding the Lord. The first step she talks about is quieting the mind. How difficult could it really be? As I was reading the devotional I could see that my mind wasn't solely focused on reading. I was thinking about other things that happened during the day and plans I had coming up. I also found myself writing this blog in my head as I read. I couldn't get myself to just read it. I feel as though this is especially true when reading Scripture. I let my mind wander. It takes discipline to quiet the mind, a discipline that I need more of.
She recommends taking pauses while reading Scripture and coming into the presence of God. Take pauses to slow ourselves down. Take pauses to keep our focus on God, keep ourselves in check. My favorite thing that I took out of her entire reading was this, "You are not there to learn or to read, but you are there to experience the presence of your Lord!" It refreshed me to hear that. I feel as though I'm going through a robotic routine sometimes when what I really need to do is wake myself up and realize that I am reading Scripture to be in the presence of God. That is a BIG DEAL!!! I want to experience God in this way.
And He said, "My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." --Exodus 33:14
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