“The assumption of spirituality is that always God is doing something before I know it. So, the task is not to get God to do something I think needs to be done, but to become aware of what God is doing so that I can respond to it and participate and take delight in it.” - Eugene Peterson
Spiritual direction can be understood as a three-part relational encounter. It is an encounter between the Lord, the directee, and the spiritual director. Its main purpose is to create space for the directee to grow in their personal relationship with God. If you remove any one of these three components, what is taking place is no longer spiritual direction.
Spiritual direction is “help given by one Christian to another which enables that person to pay attention to God’s personal communication to him or her, to respond to this personally communicating God, to grow in intimacy with this God, and to live out the consequences of the relationship.” (William A. Barry and William J. Connolly, The Practice of Spiritual Direction)
The director’s role is to help the directee recognize and embrace their identity in Christ, discern the action of the Holy Spirit in their life, and ultimately recognize and discover the ongoing work of God in their life. It is a prayerful process. David Benner writes, “Spiritual direction is a prayer process in which a person seeking help in cultivating a deeper relationship with God meets with another for prayer and conversation that is focused on increasing awareness of God in the midst of life experiences and facilitating surrender to God’s will.” (Sacred Companions)
Spiritual direction is a ministry deeply rooted in the Christian tradition. In this spiritual practice, disciples of Christ are called to be open and responsive to the direction of the Holy Spirit in their lives. Throughout the Scriptures and the history of the Church we see God bring faithful and rooted men and women to spiritually walk with and care for His people as they discern the work of God in their life.
So, what is the scriptural basis for spiritual direction? We see the idea of spiritual direction in the Old Testament through the lives of Moses and the Israelites as he guides them through the desert towards the land God has promised them. We see spiritual direction through the interaction between Eli and Samuel as Eli helps Samuel discern the voice of God in his life.
In the New Testament we see a great example of spiritual direction is in Acts 8:27-39. An Ethiopian eunuch is traveling and reading Scripture, but does not fully understand the passage he is reading. The Ethiopian senses God at work, but he’s unsure as to how. The Spirit of God moves Philip to help direct and care for this man.
“…and on his way home [he] was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet. The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it. Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked. “How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.” (Acts 8:28-31.
In the rest of the passage, Philip reads the Scripture passage with the eunuch and "proclaimed Jesus" to him by teaching him about the passage, and then baptizing him. The Ethiopian, Philip and the Spirit of God work together to bring the Ethiopian to a place of deeper understanding of God and deeper intimacy with Him. From a biblical perspective, this is what spiritual direction is.
Spiritual direction as understood within the Christian tradition is intentionally focused fully on the work of the Triune God in the life of the Jesus follower. As such, Christian spiritual direction starts with the assumption that God is calling us to deepening levels of intimacy first and foremost with Himself, with our own deepest selves, and with others.
Spiritual direction has ancient roots that dates back to the early Christian church. Throughout the history of the Christian church people have been seeking spiritual guidance and wisdom from deeply rooted godly men and women. Eventually, the term ‘spiritual direction’ became common in the Middle Ages. Today, we often see spiritual direction simply as a ministry of the Church, practiced by some major denominations and many other Christian traditions.
In short no, spiritual direction is not the same as Christian counseling, though it is often mistaken as such. Christian counseling is more about solving problems in a person’s life. It often emphasizes human relationships, both past and present, while focusing on internal and relational response patterns. Spiritual direction on the other hand focuses intentionally on one’s personal walk with God, one’s prayer life, and the discernment of God’s leading in a person’s life.
With a spiritual director, you may explore questions like these: How is God present to you at this time in your life? How are you responding? What is happening in your prayer life? Who or what is God to you in this season of life? How are you responding to God’s presence and movement in the circumstances of your life?
Everyone. Anyone who has a desire for a fuller sense of God’s presence and longs for greater connection to Him will benefit from spiritual direction. Spiritual direction is for those who yearn for something greater and sense discontentment in how things currently are. Spiritual direction is for anyone who wants to have a clearer sense of God’s invitations in their life. It is for those who want to more clearly and fully see and understand God’s active work in their day to day lives.
Are you interested in finding a spiritual director? Take a step towards a more meaningful and fulfilling spiritual journey with God. Reach out to Exponent Group to get connected to a spiritual director.
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