LECTIO DIVINA AS A CATALYST FOR SPIRITUAL GROWTH: A Case Study Among Mature Believers

The recent rise in interest in spiritual formation and the spiritual disciplines seems to indicate that there is a growing awareness of the need to attend to the spiritual lives of Christians especially those who have been believers for some time. Studies show that many believers consider themselves to be stalled in their spiritual growth and they often view prayer as a duty rather than a delight. The purpose of this doctoral thesis-project is to explore the question of whether or not prayer that is based in an intimate relationship with God, using Scripture as its foundation, can make a significant impact on the spiritual growth of Christians. To this end, thirty-eight individuals participated in a six-week study using lectio divina in their personal prayer time. Of these, 95 percent reported some degree of spiritual growth. The conclusion of this project is that lectio divina appears to have catalyzed growth in four areas: listening to God; deepening personal relationship with God; using Scripture as a basis for prayer; and being more disciplined in prayer.