This activity is helpful for meditating on stories or narrative passages. As with all of the meditation activities, beginning and ending the time with prayer and silence is recommended. Remember not to rush.
Read through the passage once and notice the different people or perspectives in the story. For example, in John 11:38-44 (Jesus raising Lazarus), there are Jesus, Mary, Martha, Lazarus, the disciples, God the Father, etc. If it is helpful, you can write down a list of the different points of view in the story.
Choose a few characters/perspectives that you would like to focus on. (You can do all of them, though this may be a lot for some stories.) Read through the story again, and focus on the story from one character’s perspective. Pause and dwell on what you have just read. Repeat this process for each of the characters you chose. If you find that a particular reading or perspective stirs up thoughts or emotions, take some extra time to pray about the impact God’s Word has on you.
If helpful, end the activity with journaling about your time of meditation on the passage.
Possible Scriptures for meditation:
- Mark 4:35-41 – Jesus calms the storm
- Mark 10:46-52 – Jesus heals a blind man
- Matthew 14:22-33 – Jesus and Peter walk on water
- Luke 5:17-26 – Jesus’ authority to forgive
- Luke 8:41-56 – Jesus’ power over sickness and death
- Luke 10:38-42 – Sitting at Jesus’s feet
- John 9:1-7 – God’s power revealed through brokenness
- John 11:38-44 – If you believed you would see the glory of God