Does God Speak Through Imagination?

Sola Scriptura. We of the Reformed faith are familiar with these words: 

Sola scriptura (Church Latin for 'by scripture alone') is a Christian theological doctrine held by most Protestant Christian denominations, in particular the Lutheran and Reformed traditions, that posits the Bible as the sole infallible source of authority for Christian faith and practice. ("Sola scriptura." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 19 Apr. 2026. Web. 1 May. 2026)

I also remember being taught that there are two “books” by which we know God: the Bible and creation. (Belgic Confession, Article 2).

As I learned more about and adopted a contemplative way of living through the Ignatian teachings, I felt a little heretical for conceiving, “I think there’s a third book: Imagination.”

A key practice that endeared me to Ignatian Spirituality is imaginative prayer. This is one of the practices outlined in the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises. You choose a Bible story, most often something from the Gospels, and imagine yourself in the story. You may imagine yourself as an observer, watching the story unfold. Or you may imagine yourself as one of the characters in the story, or perhaps a part of a crowd in the story, such as in the feeding of the five thousand. Sometimes, I imagine the story as if it were in present times, such as, “What if I were in a group of co-workers with Jesus and he asked, like he did Peter, ‘Who do you say I am, Mavis?’”

I have had an active imagination all my life, and it has not always been a good thing. I easily spiral into deep worry by imagining the awful things that could be happening when my loved ones are late, or when I am lying in bed at 3 am thinking about them. I get anxious imagining horrible results of what I said or did. Even religious beliefs have made me fearful. As a child, I was often frozen by fear when I imagined the invisible spirit world around me, almost an “I see dead people” experience.

Imaginative prayer, though, consoles me (another much-used word in Ignatian Spirituality–consolation vs. desolation). It brings me closer to God and gives me new thoughts and feelings about his word and being. One example is my imagining of Peter walking on the water (Matthew 14:22-33):

I imagine myself as Peter. Using my five senses to better get myself into the “movie in my mind,” I imagine:

• what I see: the wooden boat I’m standing in, some other disciples around me, the water, the semi-darkness before the dawn
• what I hear: the creaking of the boat, the water lapping the sides, the voices of the disciples as well as my own and Jesus’
• what I feel: the cool air, the bodies of the disciples around me, my feet on the bottom of the boat
• what I taste: my dry mouth as I wonder if it’s a ghost I see
• what I smell: the scent of the water, the smell of the fish we caught.

I go through the story: 

I am on the water in a small wooden boat with some of my fellow disciples. I peer into the distance. There’s someone walking on the water! Impossible. Is it a ghost? My friends and I yell out in fear, “Are you a ghost?!” Faintly, I hear an answer from the figure on the water, “Don’t be afraid! It’s me, Jesus.” What? How can that be? I yell to him, “Jesus, if that’s you, tell me to walk on the water to you.” He yells back, “Come!” I lean down and grab the side of the boat, then gingerly put my legs over. I’m walking on the water!! It feels weird. It’s cool and liquid, but my feet don’t sink. I keep my eyes on Jesus as I walk toward him. Suddenly, the wind picks up, and I panic. It’s not possible to walk on water! My feet immediately break through. I’m sinking. I’m going to drown. “Jesus, save me!” I cry as I try not to let my mouth fill with water. Suddenly, Jesus’ arm appears above me, his hand reaching out for mine. His strong arm pulls me up. I am back on the surface of the water. “Oh, Peter,” he says, “Where is your faith? Why did you doubt?” His arm around my shoulder, we walk back to the boat, then climb in. As soon as we are in the boat, the wind dies down.

Now, you may ask, what good is this imagining of the story? How does that make you closer to God? One thing that happens when I reflect on my imagining is that I gain a new experience of Jesus, a different perspective. It makes it more real. With this story, I see Jesus’ hand and arm from below, from in the water where I am panicking, afraid I will drown. That image of Jesus’ strong arm reaching toward me in love and strength fills me with the knowledge that Jesus will rescue me when I am afraid. When I am anxious, Jesus will pull me out, put his arm around me, and walk with me. He is strong and able.

That knowledge of Jesus’ strength, the fact that he will rescue me, and walk with me, are just some of the insights the Holy Spirit gives to me through this imaginative prayer. It is a great consolation to me. When I am in the depths of despair, fear, worry, or anxiety, I imagine seeing Jesus’ arm reaching out to me and recapture the reassurance of his strength and presence.

Ignatian Spirituality has many tenets and practices. I took a three-year course in the Spiritual Exercises at a Jesuit retreat center. It changed my life. I know that sounds dramatic, but it’s true. So much of life is what you think and feel, and becoming more and more steeped in Ignatian Spirituality has profoundly changed how I experience life.

Imaginative prayer is only one of the Jesuit spiritual practices. I will write more about the Ignatian contemplative life in future articles. If you would like to explore Ignatian Spirituality, one good source is the Ignatian Spirituality website: https://www.ignatianspirituality.com/. I would love to hear your thoughts!