Walking with God in the Word - Ignatian Meditation

This series is all about helping people walk with God. Jesus said He is the Shepherd, and we are His sheep who listen to His voice and follow Him. This metaphor describes a relationship, which is the whole point. We are created to live in a relationship with God.

Week 3 is all about knowing God, not just knowing about God. A great example of knowing about God is the scribes in the gospel accounts. The scribes were teachers and experts in the law (Old Testament Scriptures), but they were oblivious to who Jesus really was. They knew about God but didn’t know God, even when He was standing right in front of them.

One of the dangers we face today when reading the Bible is becoming like the scribes. We read only to gain knowledge and deepen our understanding of the Bible. While this is important, it must be balanced with reading to hear the voice of God.

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 8:1, “knowledge puffs up while love builds up.” If we are only filled with a knowledge of God, then our lives are like balloons. They might look big and impressive, but they are full of air, there is no substance of a real relationship with God. 

In other words, we “become dull of hearing” (Heb. 5:11) because we have only used the Bible as a tool for study. We become like the scribes who knew the information but didn’t know the Author. Learning to read with our hearts and not just our heads will help us hear the Shepherd's voice.

Ignatian Meditation is the spiritual practice to engage in this week and will help you read the Bible in a more Spirit-led way. Ignatius of Loyola developed this approach in the 1500s, along with other practices that helped to deepen people’s spiritual connection with God.

Put simply, Ignatian Meditation is a meditative approach to reading a gospel story with the purpose of entering the story and imaginatively experiencing what is taking place. It is within this space the Holy Spirit can bring to our attention a particular aspect of the story. 

Hebrews 4:12 says, “the word of God is alive and active”, which is the experience this practice helps to draw out of our Bible reading. Like the disciples who Jesus appeared to on the road to Emmaus, the word of God will cause us to say, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”

Ignatian Meditation will help you see familiar Bible stories with fresh eyes. As you take the time to slowly read and engage your imagination, the Holy Spirit will meet you in the story and open your eyes to see things you may not have noticed before. Guess what, this is God speaking to you!

Download the instructions below to practice Ignatian Meditation.

Below is Sunday’s message on YouTube.