Have you ever spoken to someone and they didn’t speak back to you? Maybe they didn’t notice you. Or maybe they did, but they just kept going. It sounds odd to say this, but we do this with God when we read a Bible passage, think, What a great little nugget of truth, and go on to the next thing in life.
If we have been attentive, God has spoken to us through the Scripture passage and we would be wise to tell God about our response. Maybe we’re upset by what has been said, or maybe a deep hole in our soul has been addressed, or maybe we have a question.
This prayer response (called oratio) is the next natural phase in the conversational back-and-forth rhythm of lectio divina. This brings so many benefits. First of all, your relationship with God is strengthened just as your relationship with anyone is strengthened by ongoing conversation. Also, you receive so much more from the passage, both in terms of content as well as your relationship with God. The typical result for many of us is that even more comes to us and our relationship with God becomes more interactive than ever.
Jan Johnson is a retreat speaker, spiritual director, the creator of many Bible studies, and the author of 22 books, including Meeting God in Scripture: A Hands-On Guide to Lectio Divina. Visit her at www.JanJohnson.org.
