Last week, I shared a bit about how God has met me and formed me as I run. I started running in high school and have continued running regularly ever since. And even though I’m not running long distances right now, the lessons I learned in more serious seasons of training have stuck with me, and continue to shape how I pray and listen to God.
I listened to Beth Moore speak a few weeks ago, and she really modeled and advocated reading the scriptures aloud. She had an entire audience of women read Psalm 57 aloud, together. Man, the passage hit differently as it was declared aloud. There was something so moving hearing the scripture, “I cry out to God Most High, to God who will fulfill his purpose for me,” proclaimed aloud by a room full of women. I wish I wrote down Moore’s quote, but she talked about the experience of ‘feeling the syllables of scripture turning around in your mouth.’
This whole idea of proclaiming and chewing on scripture, of meditating and marinating in a passage simply to experience it reminded me of my long runs. I’m ashamed to admit it, but scripture reading can turn into a chore sometimes. My Bible reading can turn into another task on the to-do list; something to start and finish, and move on. But when I recall scriptures as I’m running, I’m more likely to let my mind snag on a word, repeat phrases, and churn a passage over again and again. Maybe it’s because I’m burning through my energy stores and can’t focus on more than a word or two at a time. Maybe it’s because I’m stuck running, and might as well dwell on scripture for a while, because what else am I going to do? But when I’m running, I feel present to the Holy Spirit, and that barrier between His movement and my response feels thinner.
“The Lord bless and keep you… the Lord bless you and keep you. What does it mean that he keeps me? Keeps me from what? How does he guard me?”
“The Lord make his face shine upon you… shine upon you. Like the sun beaming down right now. The Lord is gazing at me; the rays of His love are warming every inch of my body.”
“The Lord lift up His countenance upon you… lift up His face upon you. What does it mean for God to lift His face to mine?”
And so on. You get the idea.
When I’m running, I’m meditating. I’m not gunning through a passage. I’m not linear in my thinking. I’m savoring God’s word, even if only in tiny pieces at a time. I’m rolling the syllables of scripture around my mouth and my mind, and it feels interactive. It feels like a conversation with God. It feels like prayer.
If you’re a runner, try this the next time you head out. Open your Bible as you’re lacing up your shoes, and read a short passage of scripture to get it in your mind. And then, as you’re running, turn that little passage around and around in your mind, and see where you end up.
If you’re not a runner, what part of your day does your mind tend to wander? Maybe it’s on your commute to work. Perfect! You’re alone in the car, and other drivers will think you’re taking a call; practice speaking scripture aloud. Say your favorite verse again and again. Or maybe your mind is blank when you’re folding laundry. Have your Bible open next to you, and meditate on a passage as you fold. Whatever you’re doing, be open and curious about where your mind goes. Bring the Lord any questions that come to your mind. Be still, and savor the syllables of scripture in your mouth.
Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. – Joshua 1:8
