The Word Is Very Near You: A Guide to Praying With Scripture

by Martin L. Smith

An introduction to the practice of prayer with Scripture, this book includes a number of themes for prayer with suggested passages for meditation. Martin Smith believes that prayer is not an act we perform, but rather is a response to God’s reaching out to us. Through scriptural passages this book shows how the Bible can guide our prayer response and lead us from conversational prayer to meditative, receptive prayer with Scripture. This book is ideal for an ongoing Bible, prayer, or discernment group.

Genres: Spirituality, Prayer, Christianity, Religion, Christian, Christian Living

214 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1989

Reviews

[Othy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this during my first semester in seminary in 2014 (eleven years ago!) and picked it up again to skim through to remind me of the basics. Apparently I internalized a lot of this book, because my understanding of Scripture and God's intimate revelation of himself to us in Scripture is part of my basic make-up of what I teach as a priest.

Smith's main point is instructional, and he guides his readers through a few methods of reading Scripture (e.g. lectio divina), but the real joy of the book is how Smith actually explains Scripture: it is a revelation of God's love and wisdom that can heal us through us making the stories alive in our meditations on them. The symbolism of life and wholeness enters into our of psyche and we become whole because Jesus is communicated to us through his own teachings (and the other stories in the Bible). Magnificent stuff!

In seminary, I did not make complete use of the end section, which gathers Bible stories and Psalms under thematic headings. Some of the headings are a little vague, but they are very helpful guides nevertheless.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book if you are wondering whether there might be a place for prayer in your life. It is not simplistic or fundamentalist; rather it shows in a very practical way how the meditative use of Scripture is compatible with a well-grounded interpretation of the Bible. The book is in two parts: Part I invites the reader to examine their presuppositions about prayer and discover an approach in which we are primarily receptive. Martin then teaches how to practice meditative prayer and describes three ways of praying with Scripture. Part two consists of a series of Scripture citations clustered around a variety of themes and suggests how they might be used as a basis for meditative prayer.

[Mary Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the guide to prayer I wish I had had 40 years ago! People talk about prayer a lot, but aside from the Lord's Prayer, when are we really given the tools we need to deepen our prayer life? This book does just that!

[Trey Kennedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book on prayer. I recommend it to anyone who want help with their prayer life.

[R Sah · Rating 5 out of 5]

“How many of us have really accepted the implication that God, far from being a critic of our prayer as beginners, is as overjoyed by our wavering efforts as a mother entranced by the halting steps of her child, as delighted by our clumsy words as a father hearing his name uttered by his daughter for the first time?”

And what if I cried? Seriously a treasure trove. Practical, insightful, makes me want to break out a prayer rug.

[Karen Autrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I skimmed this book since I've read several other books on lectio divina, but interesting.

[Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

A helpful introduction to various ways of praying with the Bible (Ignatian, lectio divina, etc.). What sets this apart from some books of this kind is that the author develops a rich theological (and particularly trinitarian) basis for understanding prayer before getting down to the "how-to" part. It also includes a wide-ranging selection of biblical passages organized by theme for use in prayer.

[Jobie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another book on Lectio Divina. As a cookbook. Was easy-to-read but is very engaging and enjoyable read.



[Lydia]

Per Lauren Winner, more about the place of metaphor in the spiritual life:

Smith offers an excellent overview of the Christian tradition's many fecund ways of praying with the Bible.