- Rev. Dona Johnson |November 1, 2025
In the first centuries of the church, those gifted in discernment and spiritual guidance by the call to live life in prayerful solitude were known as the desert fathers and mothers. They chose to leave the protection and luxuries of the ecclesiastical structures to seek a more modest lifestyle, away from worldly distractions and material possessions. They migrated to the wilderness areas of Egypt to better hear the voice of God. Some lived in caves devoting themselves to the ascetic life of prayer, silence and solitude. Many people journeyed great distances seeking spiritual guidance from these Christian mystics. Through the centuries, this type of spiritual guidance became known as spiritual direction—helping people at all stages life and circumstances discern the deep and abiding presence of God.
Spiritual direction holds open a holy space between the director and directee (person seeking God’s presence) where distractions are muted, where prayerful listening for the Holy Spirit’s guidance can be heard and felt in the heart, thus experiencing a deeper intimacy with God—discovering the spiritual longings, confessions, laments and joys of our hearts—souls.
Is spiritual direction biblical? Yes.
There are many biblical accounts. One great example is Jesus’ soul -searching conversation with a Samaritan woman at the well. Jesus deeply listened to what was stirring in her heart.
- He crossed cultural boundaries to reach her.
- He redeemed the integrity of her personhood.
- He did not see her as an outcast a sinner filled with shame and guilt.
- No, instead he saw her as the image-bearer God created her to be. And he offered a new type of water—living water, a spiritual and eternal water—God himself (John 4:7-26).
Dallas Willard, former chair of philosophy at USC was once asked to describe Jesus in one word. He waited quietly for a moment and then said, “Relaxed. Jesus was relaxed.” Jesus moved through his ministry with ease. He was fully engaged in the lives of people but was also fully relaxed (detached). Why? His relaxed confidence was born out of prayerful solitude. He sought out alone-time to be directed by his Father in prayer—seeking guidance, wisdom and strength.
Spiritual direction is not:
- counseling
- giving advice
- Bible study
- preparing a sermon.
- judgemental
A spiritual direction session could begin with this one powerful question: what is the state of your soul right now? What keeps surfacing that needs to be brought into the light? What is it that you need to truly attentive to? It could be relational/family, feelings of discontent, a crisis, unmet longings, indecision . . .
In spiritual direction, the director encourages the directee to come into a wide-open space of solitude, where the Holy Spirit guides and directs the directee to become more aware of the following:
- Long-term effects of inner attitudes
- Spiritual trials/stressors
- Unresolved grief or resentment
- Sometimes we cannot accept others because we do not accept ourselves.
- Fear of being crushed by our own inadequacies.
- Learning the relaxed unforced rhythms of God’s grace.
- Accepting ourselves, as we are rather than the need to dominate.
- Discovering our true self–Christlikeness, rather than our false self: dominating, ego-driven and shaping ourselves around what others expect us to be rather than what God is calling us to.
It is nearly impossible to do effective ministry without someone to companion with, hold open a neutral space, free of judgment where God’s presence can be known in more intimate and life-giving ways.
It’s about getting in touch with what is really going on in your heart. It allows questions, confessions and needling vices and longings to surface. It is about getting in-touch with the deep stirrings of your heart, discovering your true self, and not what you think others want you to be. Intentional prayer and transparency in the presence of God and a spiritual guide can be both life-giving and transformational.
In a world wracked with over- working, health problems, repeated negative news cycles, relational conflicts and screen fatigue—all of these things can drain us emotionally and rob our souls of joy—peace with God. For many of us we see ministry as doing for God rather than being with God. It is so easy to become functionaries in ministry, finding ourselves caught up in the business of church rather than being the spiritual guides God calls us to be. Many people go days without a real genuine conversation about the tensions and tug-a-war issues of faith and life.
In a world that is hyper-focused on outcome driven performance, a spiritual director can slow down the pace, guide people of faith into a place of prayerful awareness, the still point where God’s heart meets our heart in life-giving ways. Spiritual direction helps you have more empathy for other relationships, helps you have more grace for yourself—self-love, helps you to move your faith from being purely transactional to transformational and it is extremely beneficial when you are stuck in a place of indecision, dissatisfaction lack of belonging or discerning God’s call.
Rev. Dona Johnson is a trained spiritual director through Selah—in the contemplative tradition. She is also a stewardship specialist and generosity
coach for the NALC.
- Rev. Dona Johnson |November 1, 2025