Sacred Rhythms by Ruth Haley Barton
Week 7: Chapter 6 — Discernment: Recognizing and Responding to the Presence of God
Read Chapter 6 of Sacred Rhythms. Key Scripture: Romans 12:2; 1 Kings 19:11-13.
Previewing Week 7 of Sacred Rhythms
Read 3 of 8 discussion questions below. Unlock the complete 9-week guide when you’re ready.
Discernment is one of the most longed-for and least-practiced of the spiritual disciplines — we want to know God's will, but we are rarely trained to listen for it. These questions take you into the slow, attentive work of learning to hear.
Discussion Questions
8 questions1.Barton defines discernment not as a technique for making decisions, but as a way of life — a cultivated attentiveness to God's presence and movement in all of life. How is this different from how you have typically thought about 'knowing God's will'?
2.She draws on Elijah's experience at the mouth of the cave (1 Kings 19) — where God was not in the wind, earthquake, or fire, but in the 'still small voice' — as an image of how discernment works. What 'winds and earthquakes' in your life tend to drown out the still small voice? How have you learned, or failed to learn, to quiet them?
3.Barton introduces the Ignatian language of 'consolation' and 'desolation' as tools for discernment — not just about major life decisions, but about the moment-to-moment direction of our hearts. Can you think of a recent decision or direction in your life where consolation and desolation would have been useful categories?
a.Was there a sense of life, peace, and alignment with God — or a sense of restlessness, contraction, and distance from God — as you considered it?
b.Did you pay attention to those signals at the time? What got in the way of listening if you didn't?