We're back with Rev. Rachel for week three of our Spiritual Rhythms series, and this week we're talking about one of our absolute favorite things — Scripture. But maybe not in the way you're used to engaging it.

Here's something worth sitting with: most of us who love the Bible tend to engage it almost entirely through our heads. We study it, analyze it, cross-reference it — and that is genuinely wonderful. But there's a whole other way of being in Scripture that most of us in the evangelical tradition have barely touched, and it's actually one of the oldest Christian practices in existence.

It's called lectio divina — divine reading — and it's been around for about 1,700 years. Long before the printing press, long before people could read their own Bibles, Christians were using this practice to actually experience and be formed by Scripture, not just informed by it. And today, Nicole and Rev. Rachel walk you through it live, using Psalm 119:9–16.

Here's how it works: the passage is read four times, slowly. The first time, you just listen. The second time, you notice what word or phrase sticks with you. The third time, you ask the Holy Spirit how it connects to your life right now. And the fourth time, you ask God how He's inviting you to respond. What you're looking for at the end isn't more information — it's peace. It's the gentle conviction or comfort of the Spirit meeting you right where you are.

We also talk about the digital fast from last week — and why your phone might be revealing more about where you actually place your trust than you'd like to admit. (Pro tip from Rev. Rachel's college students: buy an old school alarm clock. Seriously.)

And the core idea we keep coming back to all series long: right pace creates right perspective. When we slow down enough to let Scripture read us — not just the other way around — something shifts. That's the invitation this week.

Check out my free download to walk through these practices together:
https://nicoleunice.kit.com/spiritualpractices

This Week's Practice: Lectio Divina
Try it yourself with Psalm 119:9–16 — read it four times, slowly:

1. Read 1 — Just listen. Let the words wash over you.
2. Read 2 — What word, phrase, or image sticks with you?
3. Read 3 — Ask the Holy Spirit: how does this connect to my life right now?
4. Read 4 — Ask God: how are you inviting me to respond?

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Jesus brings quiet and stillness that's powerful and substantive. Jesus calms storms, metaphorical and spiritual and physical ones. We need his quieting power, especially in our digital lives.

What does your everyday life look like, particularly when it comes to your digital rhythms? This week, we're inviting you right into the place where it hurts and asking the question: how much are you scrolling? How much are you on your screens, any screens of any kind?

This isn’t about shame or guilt. Technology in it of itself is a bad thing. But what the digital age has done is numb us into a place of constant distraction where distraction is actually what feels like the norm.

So, you are as susceptible as anyone else to finding yourself numbed into distraction in a way that makes you continue to have a chaotic soul without the space to allow Jesus to come in and bring the kind of peace that he can. Now, it's not that Jesus can't master over anything. But Jesus is a gentleman. God is very invitational in nature. And that means that we must place ourselves in a position to hear from him.

Check out my free download to walk through these practices together:
nicoleunice.com/spiritualpractices

WHAT DOES IT SAY?

Mark 4: Jesus Calms the Storm

35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

Jesus brings peace out of chaos. Jesus calms storms. What storms is he trying to calm in your life? What are you avoiding right now that he wants to speak into?

WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR ME?

The invitation: digital rhythm to allow silence and stillness. The place where Jesus could do the greatest work in your life, where you could experience the biggest miracles in your soul, the places of unforgiveness, the places of anxiety, a fear of lack of purpose, whatever that thing is for you right now, that thing that Jesus has command over is not commanded by your screen. And yet that's the thing we often use.

In a world of normalized digital addiction, disciples of Jesus remember the uncompromising words of Paul, “I will not be mastered by anything” (1 Cor. 6:12). Rather than allowing ourselves to circle the drain of the digital vortex, we instead “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Cor. 10:5).

RESOURCES:
Nicole’s Book: Help My Bible Is Alive!
Ask Nicole a Bible study question: nicole@nicoleunice.com

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Special Bonus Episode from "Untangling Prayer with Rachel Wojo"

Today’s episode features a special bonus conversation from "Untangling Prayer" hosted by Rachel Wojo. She interviews Kristy Graham host of On the Ground with Samaritan's Purse. Through powerful stories of faith, service, and God’s work around the world, this episode offers a reminder that Scripture is not just something we study—it’s something we live out.

Discover how Samaritan’s Purse is bringing hope, meeting physical needs, and sharing the message of Christ with people across the globe.

To hear more inspiring stories from On the Ground with Samaritan’s Purse, visit:
https://www.samaritanspurse.org/

You'll discover:

• Why joy in suffering comes from God's presence rather than changed circumstances
• How to pray honestly and still surrender the outcome to God
• What persecuted believers pray for instead of protection, and why it matters
• The difference between praying for your circumstances to change and letting God change your heart
• Why serving others in your own pain can lift the weight you're carrying

If you're in a season where your prayers feel unanswered, this conversation is a reminder that you are seen by a loving God who understands your pain and meets you in it.

Resources Mentioned:

• On the Ground with Samaritan's Purse podcast: ontheground.samaritanspurse.org
• Learn more about Samaritan's Purse: samaritanspurse.org

Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.