208 pages
Intervarsity Press (Formatio)
ISBN: 978-0-8308-4686-3
In our time, prayer is a topic that has taken on more importance, many Christians and non-Christians are interested in knowing “how” prayer works and how we should pray. There is much interest in the form, but we have forgotten the most important thing about prayer, which is, communion with our Lord.
In this book entitled “Opening to God: Lectio Divina and Life as Prayer" (Expanded Edition), Dr. David G. Benner helps us to understand that prayer is more than forms or something systematic, but that it is a lifestyle, in which the believer responds to God through prayer. Prayer, more than formalities, requires faith, honesty and devotion, it is not about pretending something that we are not before God, but about being who we are, dependent on his grace and love.
The focus of the book lies in two ideas: prayer as communion with the Lord and lectio divina as a guide. Personally, I knew little about lectio divina, and reading the contributions the author makes in chapter two has encouraged me to investigate more about the role of lectio divina in spiritual life and how the Church has used it. However, chapter two makes a good introduction on this matter. Have you ever read the Scriptures, finding nothing in it but technical information, but not the Voice? This is where lectio divina becomes important to hear what God wants to say to us through the Scriptures.
The difference between "Opening to God" and other books on prayer is that its approach is very practical, in fact, at the end of each chapter, readers will find some suggestions to deepen the aspects covered.
The book is divided into nine chapters, the first three as an introduction to prayer and lectio divina, and the other six chapters to consider prayer in a holistic way.
At the end of this reading you will be inspired to renew your prayer life and also to use lectio divina, all of this to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. You can get this book here.
