Sacred Seeing

Visio Divina (52 Ways to Pray)

Mar 26, 2026

*Hortus Deliciarum* ("Garden of Delights"), Herrad of Landsberg (c. 12th cent.)

Visio Divina—“divine seeing”—is an ancient form of meditation that uses an image, rather than written or spoken words, as its focus.

Ruth Haley Barton, in her Invitation to Solitude and Silence, warns of the disproportionate fixation on words within the evangelical tradition.

We are a verbal church.

Worshipping God has become synonymous with singing songs.

Prayer is about the words we say to God, and the words we hope He will say to us.

The centerpiece of our services is a lengthy sermon, and therefore the eloquence of preachers has become the primary feature of our churches.

But the aesthetic touches something in us that words cannot reach.

We are formed by what we see long before our brains can comprehend language. Ana-Maria Rizzuto writes about how our earliest experiences of meaning-making in the world come through “eye contact, smiling, and the child’s fascination with the configuration of the human face.”

When our prayer life is confined to the realm of words, we exclude the innermost part of who we are—the part that imagines and beholds.

Icons have played a part in the worship of the church since its earliest centuries. They are sacred images that become windows to God. Icons are not meant to be merely looked at, but looked through.

*Transfiguration of Christ*, icon. (c.1125-1175)

Any image can become an icon to us if we learn to look through it to glimpse heaven.

In this clip I share one of the most powerful experiences with God I’ve ever had, praying with a bronze bust of Jesus:

Practice

Select an Image

It could be anything that resonates with you. You can look up traditional icons from the Orthodox tradition, or other works of art depicting scenes from Scripture (I love Rembrandt’s work for this).
You could also pray with some other work of art, a sculpture, or even a stirring photograph or scene in nature.

Center

Before you begin, take a few long, slow breaths. Let your busy mind settle. Become grounded and present where you are.
Say a simple short prayer to ask God to speak to you through this prayer.

Gaze

Lift your eyes to your image. Study it and become familiar with it. Take it in.
As you gaze, keep a curious mind. What do you notice? Where do you find yourself focusing in the image? What sensations are you feeling in your mind or your body? What mood or tone is it giving you?
The longer you sit with your image, the deeper the experience will sink in—past the surface layers of rational judgment and analysis, down into the parts of you that can’t be captured by words.
What is God saying to you through this picture? What does he want to remind you of? What are you realizing about who God is?
What do you need to say to God in response?

Amen.