Contemplative Prayer: Waiting for the Lord

Psalm 130 is a Pilgrim Song.  Travelers going to Jerusalem would sing this psalm, along with others, as they ascended the mountain of Zion to attend the feasts of Passover, Tabernacles, and Pentecost.  These pilgrim songs were published as a little booklet that contained Psalms 120-134, collectively called Psalms of Ascent.  For me, the Psalms of Ascent are beautiful to use as I center my heart for contemplative prayer, because when I practice this kind of prayer, I feel as if my spirit were ascending to God on Mount Zion itself.  My spirit soars within me as I engage in the ancient Christian practice of contemplation.  I hope you'll discover contemplative prayer for yourself.

"I wait for the Lord, my soul waits..."

Contemplative prayer is different from traditional prayer, which seeks to tell God everything that is on your mind.  In contemplative prayer, the praying person seeks to immerse herself in God's presence.  She wants to hear God, rather than being heard by God.  Simply put, contemplative prayer is resting in God's presence, without saying anything.  And, if possible, without thinking anything.  Because whatever you're thinking is distracting you from whatever God is thinking.  Slowly breathe in and out, resting in God and trusting in His love.  Whenever you find yourself distracted by your own thoughts, simply repeat a sacred word from the scripture text you've been reading (I call this sacred word a Logos Prayer).  Let this word bring you back to silence, where you wait on, and listen to God.  Try it for twenty minutes or so, and see the peace that it brings.

Psalm 130 prepares the heart for contemplative prayer.  It says:

130 Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord!
2     O Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
    to the voice of my pleas for mercy!

3 If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,
    O Lord, who could stand?
4 But with you there is forgiveness,
    that you may be feared.

5 I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
    and in his word I hope;
6 my soul waits for the Lord
    more than watchmen for the morning,
    more than watchmen for the morning.

7 O Israel, hope in the Lord!
    For with the Lord there is steadfast love,
    and with him is plentiful redemption.
8 And he will redeem Israel
    from all his iniquities.

Psalm 130 notes three stages in contemplative prayer: confession, contemplation, and connection.

First, verses 1-4 prepare the praying person to enter the presence of God through prayers of confession.  It is impossible to enjoy contemplation if your heart is burdened by sin.  So begin your prayer time by confessing your sins to God, and allow His healing and forgiveness to flow through you.  Let the "grace that is greater than all our sin" nourish and restore you.  "Out of the depths (v.1)" might refer to the depths of guilt or the depths of sin, but it may simply indicate the depths of the heart.  During this initial time, it's okay to use words, tears, and body movements to indicate your contrition.  But once you feel the Holy Spirit's assurance of forgiveness, move on from confession to quiet contemplation.

Next, verses 5-6 move us into the heart of contemplative prayer--which is simply waiting on God, with all your heart and soul.  When you feel distracted, don't get discouraged.  Simply hope in God's word (Logos), which returns you to listening.  Breathe in deeply, and breathe out deeply.  Breathe in God's love, and breathe out any worry or fear you might have.  Inhale God's grace.  As you exhale, release any tension or unforgiveness you may have for someone else.  Listen to God's Spirit as you breathe.  God may speak, or He may not.  If not, don't worry about this.  It's just you and God, sitting together in silence like two people in love who don't need words.  Mutual listening is a beautiful thing.  Be attentive to God, even as a watchman is attentive to his surroundings.  Wait for God, even as the watchman waits for dawn.  If you're distracted, return to your Logos Prayer again.  (For me, today, in Psalm 130 it would be "mercy."  For you, it might be a different word entirely.)  Wait, watch, and listen.  Rest in God's presence.

Finally, verses 7-8 take us from an inward focus to an outward attention.  Connection to others is never forgotten, lest contemplative prayer become nothing more than navel-gazing.  As the praying person emerges from contemplation, he re-engages the world in a redemptive way.  "O Israel, hope in the Lord!"  If contemplative prayer is introverted, it is lived out daily in an extroverted way, testifying of God's steadfast love and redemption, and working to reconcile the world to God.  The person who practices real contemplative prayer does not remain cloistered behind inwardly-focused meditations.  Rather, he lets his prayer life shape the way he encounters the world around him.

Today, I invite you to contemplative prayer.  If you've never practiced it before, don't worry--it's among the easiest (and one of the most profound) forms of prayer you could practice.  Start with confession, then move into quiet contemplation.  Finally, emerge into a connection with the world that puts you to work as an ambassador of Christ's redemption.  I pray that your soul soars as you learn contemplative prayer--as your "soul waits for the Lord, more than watchmen for the morning."  





*Scriptures taken from the ESV. 

Patience in Prayer

Patience in Prayer

Today is the second day in our 41st week, reading the Bible through in a year.  Our scriptures today are:  Jeremiah 37, 21, 34; James 5; Psalm 79.

This morning as I settled into my prayer time, my mind was wandering and restless.  Distracting thoughts pelted my consciousness like stones.  Finally, I was able to center myself, when I realized God's words to me from James 5, verses 7-11 (NIV).  The entire passage reads:

7 Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. 8 You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. 9 Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!

10 Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.

Patience is a difficult thing when you're engaged in any activity.  In prayer, it can be especially difficult because we're not used to sitting quietly in God's presence and simply letting God be God.  We try to fill the silence with our own thoughts, wants, fears, petitions, and so on.  But God would rather we listened to Him than fill the air with restless chatter.  He has some advice for us, as we try to settle our thoughts for prayer.

"Be patient...until the Lord's coming."  Certainly, this pertains to Jesus' Second Coming, but I think it means more than that.  For over two millennia, Christians have been waiting for the Second Coming, but I believe Paul is telling us to be patient as we wait for the Lord to manifest His presence in our heart when we pray.  Certainly, He is always with us--but when we enter into prayer with a patient attitude, expecting God to show up in a way that we can discern, He will.  Be patient until the Lord's coming.  Wait for Him.

"See how the farmer waits..."  Jesus talked about farmers all the time, drawing analogies from the agricultural life in order to demonstrate spiritual truth.  Now, Paul does the same thing.  The farmer sows his seed, and then he waits--simply trusting that the earth will produce.  Once you've prayed, don't fret about it anymore.  See how the farmer waits, with quiet trust, and do the same thing.  God will provide the increase.

"Stand firm..."  It's easy to waver in prayer, but God wants believers who will not falter.  Standing firm in prayer means sinking your feet deep in the mud of God's promises. The promises of God will cement you in place.  When you stand on His promises, He won't let you fall.

"Perseverance" is the key when you're struggling in prayer.  Sometimes you don't feel like praying.  Sometimes it's a struggle.  Sometimes you can even suffer in prayer.  But don't give up.  Like did, you've got to see your prayer through until God brings His blessing.

The unifying concept in all these four phrases is simply the idea of consistent trust and passivity before God.  The word "patient" comes from the root word "passive."  To be patient before God means to rest in Him, to quit trying to work and struggle, and simply trust.  Too often our prayers are filled with struggles within ourselves, wrestling with God, or battles with the principalities.  Why not try simply resting in God?  Be passive before Him.  Trust that He will work His purpose out.  Wait for the coming of the Lord.

Selah - Pause and Reflect

In Psalm 46, the psalmist declares that even as the storm rages all around, there is a quiet center, a fortress, where refuge can be found.  That fortress is found not behind walls, but behind the shield of God's presence.  When we get quiet, we can know God's peace, even in the center of the storm.  Three times in eleven verses, the psalmist uses the phrase "Selah" which means "pause and reflect."  Some Bible scholars say this is a music notation, and others suggest it is a reminder to reflect on the meaning of the verses.  Either way, Selah reminds us that taking time to pause and reflect helps us to find peace as the storms of life rage around us.  Verses 1-3* say:

God is our refuge and strength,
    a very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,
    though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam,
    though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah

It seems that when we are in trouble, the first reflex we have is to jump around to try to fix our problems.  When fear overrides our faith, we move into our habitual ways of counter-attack when we are attacked, of reacting to situations rather than thoughtfully responding.  But when we take time to engage in Selah, then we remember that in the center of it all, God is our refuge and strength.  No matter what disasters are going on around us, there is calm in the storm when we pause and reflect, and listen to the Lord.

4 

Verses 4-7 say:

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
    the holy habitation of the Most High.
5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;
    God will help her when morning dawns.
6 The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;
    he utters his voice, the earth melts.
7 The Lord of hosts is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

Here, we can understand the "city of God" to be more than just a place called Jerusalem.  Here, the City of God represents the people of God.  Psalm 125:2 gives an analogy between the city and the people, saying, "As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds his people, from this time forth and forevermore."  The river doesn't make glad a place--the river makes glad a people.  What is the river?  It's the never-ending flow of the Holy Spirit--the river of life that flows from God to us.  It's the salvation we have through Jesus, and the ability He gives us to flow in the perfection of His will.  It's the perfect peace that He gives us when our minds are stayed on Him (Isaiah 26:3).  This river is available to every believer who will practice Selah, who will pause and reflect on God's presence in the center of the storm.  When a city is besieged, it won't last long unless it has a dependable water source.  Jerusalem was fed by a river that flowed through a hidden tunnel.  When armies came against them, that river made glad the city of God.  In the same way, when the enemy of your soul comes against you, the never-ending flow of God's presence can make you glad.  Even though the nations rage and kingdoms totter, even though it seems like the earth is melting around you, God is your fortress and you will not be moved.

In verses 8-11, we encounter another "Selah."  This time, it's not simply a notation at the end of the verses.  It's a command from the Lord Himself.

8 Come, behold the works of the Lord,
    how he has brought desolations on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
    he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
    he burns the chariots with fire.
10 “Be still, and know that I am God.
    I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth!”
11 The Lord of hosts is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

"Be still, and know that I am God."  God tells us to be still.  Practice Selah, and you will know the presence of God.  When desolations come on the earth, remember that God is your refuge and strength.  When you find yourself at a loss for words, it's okay.  Just practice Selah.  Pause.  Reflect.  Let the Word of God speak.

Today, I give you a song by Mercy Me, entitled "Word of God, Speak."  I invite you to get comfortable, sit still, close your eyes, and play the video.  Let the words of the song become your prayer.  Breathe deeply in, and breathe deeply out, as you listen to the song and pray its lyrics to the Father.  Then, as the song concludes, continue to sit still.  Be still, and know the presence of God.  Take a few minutes to listen--and let the Word of God speak to your heart.

*All scriptures are taken from the ESV.

"If Birds Talked, They Couldn't Fly"

Today is the third day of our 27th week, reading the Bible through together in a year.  Our scriptures today are:  Ecclesiastes 4-6; 2 Timothy 2; Psalm 125.

I love (and miss) the TV philosophical comedy/drama "Northern Exposure," which ran from 1990 to 1995.  The quirky characters and deep, meaningful nonsense provoked both laughter and deep thought.  One of my favorite characters was Bob, the Flying Man.  The viewer never actually sees him fly, but he shows up in the strangest places, with no other explanation besides bodily flight.  Some people acknowledge his ability to fly, while others dismiss the claim as rediculous.  Bob is a virtually silent character, and nobody really knows why he rarely speaks.  The following scene, a conversation between The Flying Man and Marilyn, has stuck in my memory for years.  In three lines, it explains the mystery of human flight.


Marilyn:  Words are a heavy thing.
Bob:  Like rocks. 
Marilyn:  They weigh you down.  If birds talked, they couldn't fly.

This is true in our prayer time, and it is true in our everyday interactions.  The vain words we use weigh us down.  They keep us from soaring in God's blessing and grace.  This is what today's readings have to say about silence and words:

Ecclesiastes 4:6*  Better is a handful of quietness than two hands full of toil and a striving after wind.

Ecclesiastes 5:1-7  Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil.  Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few.  For a dream comes with much business, and a fool's voice with many words.

When you vow a vow to God, do not delay paying it, for he has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you vow.  It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay.  Let not your mouth lead you into sin, and do not say before the messenger that it was a mistake. Why should God be angry at your voice and destroy the work of your hands?  For when dreams increase and words grow many, there is vanity; but God is the one you must fear.

Ecclesiastes 6:11  The more words, the more vanity, and what is the advantage to man? 

2 Timothy 2:14, 16-17a  Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers... But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness,  and their talk will spread like gangrene.

2 Timothy 2:24-25  And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness.

"Words are heavy things.  Like rocks.  They weigh you down.  If birds talked, they couldn't fly."    And the heavier your words are, the less you'll be able to fly.  

That's not to say that all words are bad--but we must watch our words carefully, to make sure that they are honoring to God.  We must also be careful to make sure that we're not simply filling up the silence with distracting chatter.

People tend to be uncomfortable with silence.  It makes us nervous, because it forces us to listen to the still, small voice of God who speaks within our quieted hearts.  Silences makes us turn inward, to examine ourselves.  And when we examine ourselves, we find things that we don't like so much.  So, rather than allowing silence to cleanse us, we'd rather fill our day with TV, radio, meaningless (rather than meaningful) conversation, and other things that distract us.  But the Flying Man would caution us that too many words can weigh you down.

Don't get me wrong--I'm not advocating a vow of silence.  Even the monks who are known for that don't actually take a vow of silence.  They simply restrict speech to that which is meaningful and edifying.  The Trappist wesbite says:

For hundreds of years, Trappist monks and nuns have been known for living a very silent life. Consequently, people commonly know Trappists as “the monks who don't talk”. They know we take vows and so naturally suppose we take a vow of silence. The truth is, Trappists have never actually taken an explicit vow of silence. We take three vows, which have their source in the Rule of St. Benedict, written in the sixth century: A vow of Stability, promising to live the rest of our lives with one monastic community, A vow of Obedience to an abbot and a Vow of “Conversion of Manners”, the promise to live the monastic life in all its parts as described by the Rule of St. Benedict and the Constitutions of our Order. This last vow of “conversion” takes in the practice of celibacy, fasting, manual labor, separation from the world and silence. It then remains for the monk or nun to apply themselves faithfully to the observance of silence characteristic of their own community. Relative to the way most people live, this is definitely a commitment to pretty radical silence. A Trappist monastery is a quiet place! In a Trappist monastery, monks typically have three motivations to speak to one another: to get a particular work project carried out efficiently, to engage in a community discussion, or to discuss one's spiritual progress with a director or confessor. Sometimes, too, Trappists will enjoy friendly conversations with each other in a conversation room or in nature. These different types of conversation are balanced with the discipline of fostering a general atmosphere of silence in the monastery. Trappists find the silence helps them to practice continual prayer. But, strictly speaking – no, we do not explicitly vow to be silent on the day we make our profession of vows.

As a spiritual discipline, why not try taking a day of silence?  To do this, you might have to retreat from people.  If you must be around people, then Richard Foster, author of A Celebration of Discipline, suggests carrying a card that tells people that you're in silence for the day.  However you manage it, practicing silence in your life can bring you in touch with the quiet heart of God.  

Another practice that you might try is wordless prayer.  I'm not talking about praying silently, where you speak all the words you have to say in your mind, without letting sound pass your lips.  Instead, I'm suggesting that you pray without words at all...from your mouth or from your mind.  Simply sit in God's presence, without letting words contaminate the beauty of silence that is between you and the Lord.  Like an old couple who sits on the front porch together, holding hands without the need for words, just be in God's presence.  Hold hands with Him and simply enjoy Him, without the need to say anything.  Listen to what God has to say to you, instead of always telling Him what He already knows.  Maybe The Lover of Your Soul will whisper words to you, that you might not have heard if you had been filling up the silence with speech of your own.

I pray that today, and every day, you'll find some time for silence.  Because it's only when we grow quiet that can we truly hear.




*All scriptures taken from the ESV.

One Line-One Breath

Recently in a time of prayer, I discovered that rearranging a psalm so that its phrases are on separate lines can help the scripture sink deeper into my heart and help me to grasp it better.  To do this, simply separate each phrase as it seems best to you, and put each phrase on a different line.  Then, go back and read through the psalm prayerfully.  Read the first line silently as you inhale, and the second line silently as you exhale.  Take long, deep breaths, and make sure you don't move to the next line until your inhale has changed to an exhale, or vise versa.

Rearranging the psalm doesn't make it say anything different than it did before.  It does, however, emphasize certain points in my spirit.  I won't elaborate on the realizations I had when I did this exercise with Psalm 55.  I'll simply copy it below, and let you come to your own conclusions.  I hope you'll consider this as a spiritual exercise for yourself.  Just take any psalm, and give it a try. See how you perceive the scripture differently when you experience it in this way.

Here's an example of the way I've rearranged Psalm 55 (ESV):

Give ear to my prayer,

            O God,

                        And hide not yourself

                                    From my plea

                                                For mercy.

Attend to me,

            And answer me;

                        I am restless

                                    In my complaint

                                                And I moan,

Because of the noise

            Of the enemy,

Because of the oppression

            Of the wicked.

For they drop trouble upon me,

            And in anger

                        They bear a grudge

                                    Against me.

My heart is in anguish within me;

            The terrors of death

                        have fallen upon me.

Fear and trembling come

            upon me,

                        and horror

                                    overwhelms me.

And I say,

            “Oh, that I had wings

                        like a dove!

                                    I would fly away

                                                And be at rest;

Yes, I would wander

            Far away;

I would lodge

            In the wilderness;

Selah

I would hurry

            To find a shelter

                        From the raging wind

                                    And tempest.”

Destroy, O Lord,

            Divide their tongues;

                        For I see violence

                                    And strife in the city.

Day and night

            They go around it

                        On its walls,

And iniquity

            And trouble

                        Are within it;

Ruin in its midst;

            Oppression

                        And fraud

                                    Do not depart

                                                From its marketplace.

For it is not an enemy

            Who taunts me—

                        Then I could bear it;

It is not an adversary

            Who deals insolently with me—

                        Then I could hide from him.

But it is you,

            A man,

                        My equal,

                                    My companion,

                                                My familiar friend.

We used to take sweet counsel together.

            Within God’s house

                        We walked

                                    In the throng.

Let death

            Steal over them;

                        Let them go down to Sheol alive;

For evil

            Is in their dwelling place

                        And in their heart.

But I call

            To God,

                        And the Lord will save me.

Evening

            And morning

                        And at noon

                                    I will utter my complaint

                                                And moan,

And He hears my voice.

He redeems my soul

            In safety

                        From the battle

                                    That I wage,

For many are arrayed

            Against me.

God will give ear

            And humble them,

                        He who is enthroned

                                    From of old,

 Selah.

Because they do not change

            And do not fear god.

My companion stretched out his hand

            Against his friends.

                        He violated his covenant.

His speech was smooth

            As butter,

Yet war was in his heart;

His words were softer than oil,

            Yet they were drawn swords.

Cast your burden on the Lord,

            And He will sustain you;

He will never permit

            The righteous

                        To be moved.

But you,

            O God,

                        Will cast them down

                                    Into the pit of destruction;

Men of blood

            And treachery

                        Shall not live out half their days.

But I will trust in you.

Hope, Wait, Trust

"Hope, Wait, Trust"

From Psalm 33

In times of struggle, sometimes the hardest things to do are to hope, wait, and trust that God will work all things out.  Romans 8:28 (ESV) says, "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose."  Paul says we know this.  But really getting this knowledge to the core of your being can take some work.  That's where praising God comes in.

In Psalm 33 begins with praise.  When you're going through a difficult time, you don't always feel like praising God.  But praise brings in God's presence.   Verse 3 (ESV) gives three different ways we can praise God.  

Sing to him a new song;
    play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.

 

First, we can sing a new song.  Composing a song to God can be something that you do with careful deliberation, putting pen to paper and giving consideration to rhyme and meter.  Or, you can simply sing extemporaneously.  As Prof. Harold Hill (The Music Man) said, "Singing is just sustained talking."  Make up a song on the spot.  Give your thoughts notes, whether they're worthy of a Grammy or not.

The second way you can praise God through song is by playing skillfully on a musical instrument.  This, of course, involves learning an instrument.  If you're already able to do so, then why not incorporate your ability into your prayer time?  Let your music become a gift you give to God.  Or, if you've never learned how to play an instrument, why not consider it--and learn it for God's glory?

The third way we can praise God is through loud shouts.  What does this mean?  It doesn't mean disrupting a church's worship service.  But it does mean letting go of your inhibitions in prayer.  Prayer doesn't always have to be something you do with folded hands and whispering lips.  Let go, and give God a shout.  You'll be surprised at how good it feels.

Beginning your prayer time with an attitude of praise invites God's presence.  It helps you to settle into prayer, so that you can hope, wait, and trust in God.

Today as you do this meditation, go through the beads the first time by saying the entire verses.  Then, go through them a second time, simply saying the word "Hope" on the Invitatory, the word "Wait" on the Cruciform, the word "Trust" on the Weeks, and again saying the word "Hope" on the Benedictory.

A MEDITATION WITH ECUMENICAL PRAYER BEADS:
(Click here to get your own)

Invitatory

18 Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him,
    on those who hope in his steadfast love,
¹⁹ that he may deliver their soul from death
    and keep them alive in famine.

Cruciform

20 Our soul waits for the Lord;
    he is our help and our shield.

Weeks
²¹ For our heart is glad in him,
    because we trust in his holy name.

Benedictory

²² Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us,
    even as we hope in you.

The word that stands out to me in both the invitatory and benedictory  is "hope."  The LOGOS for the cruciform is "wait," and the LOGOS for the weeks is "trust."  These three words become God's message for what He wants me to do in this whole interviewing process.