CONTEMPLATIVE PRAYER:
ENGAGING GOD IN THE QUIET
By: MIGHTY PURSUIT TEAM
Imagine going to the Met Museum or the Louvre and sprinting through the entire art gallery without stopping to consider the brush strokes, the texture, the composition, and the subject matter of each photograph or painting. Sure, you "partook in the experience," but you didn't leave room for your soul to be moved by the painting, or for your mind to wander, engage, and explore. Yet for many of us, this is the story of our daily life. We stand surrounded by a beautiful world that is full of wonder, but we opt to simply partake and never quite take it all in. Everything starts to feel like one giant blur. All we can recall is being overworked, overstressed and constantly fixated on everything that’s going wrong in the current moment. Instead of observing life through a lens of thoughtful contemplation and critical thinking, we opt for a feelings-as-truth mentality, which effectively negates any chance of being reminded of what's actually true. And this is where we discover the beauty of contemplative prayer. Sometimes referred to as quiet time or silence and solitude, contemplative prayer takes intentional time daily to turn aside and fix our eyes upon God. It is in this space where we discover a shift happening within us from the inside-out. Life starts slowing down. Discontentment turns into gratitude. Anxiety to peace. Lies for truth. This may sound a lot like meditation, but as we explore this beautiful practice, we discover that contemplative prayer is based upon a radically different foundation.
CONTEMPLATIVE PRAYER VS. MEDITATION
Over the last decade, there has been an explosion of interest into alternative forms of spirituality, usually expressed through mindfulness and meditation. Even for those that don’t consider themselves spiritual, there is interest in the therapeutic benefits of these two practices. The incredible rise of meditation as a form of healing and spirituality has birthed two fast-growing startups in the space, Headspace and Calm. Both have hundreds of millions in funding and in 2020 alone, nearly 165 million people downloaded their meditation apps. Headspace states that meditation “isn’t about becoming a different person, a new person, or even a better person. It’s about training in awareness and getting a healthy sense of perspective. You’re not trying to turn off your thoughts or feelings. You’re learning to observe them without judgment.” Which goes to say, the foundation of meditation starts and ends with you. This self-focused practice often is aimed at reducing anxiety or distress as we attempt to return back to a place of calm equilibrium. Contemplative prayer, on the other hand, is God-focused. It is the means in which we reflect on God and heighten our awareness of his presence. There is freedom in expression here, as we can engage in contemplative prayer in a variety of ways. Maybe one day we fill ourselves with what’s true by meditating on mini-bits of scripture. We could also observe nature and reflect on God’s beauty. Or maybe we even process our thoughts before God, exchanging toxic feelings and lies for what he has to say over our situations. While Jesus doesn't list "contemplative prayer" as an explicit command, we see people throughout scripture, even Jesus himself, practicing contemplation, silence, and solitude to discern God's will and deepen their connection with him. The Bible lists many examples of Jesus withdrawing from his followers and from the crowds after long days of working miracles and teaching others. Mark 1:35 says that "very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed." Notice in that the intention to a.) root himself in God's presence before the day begins, and to b.) do this practice by himself. There's a time and place for communal worship or praying with our friends in community, but often the deepest form of mind-wandering, soul-searching contemplation comes within the contours of stillness and silence. As Mother Teresa once said: "In the silence of the heart God speaks. If you face God in prayer and silence, God will speak to you."
CONTEMPLATIVE PRACTICES & TIPS
Contemplative prayer can be a transformative practice when we incorporate it into our daily rhythms of life. However, in the midst of a distracted society, getting there isn't always easy. Here are a few tips and strategies for entering into that place of deep, contemplative reflection.
Discard Distractions
It likely goes without saying, but we get the most out of contemplative prayer by starting in a distraction-free environment. Having your phone ringing or buzzing next to you will inevitably draw you out of your deep focus and orient your mind towards what you need to get done, or answering those beckoning for you. Eliminating distraction is essential for letting your contemplative moments be just between you and God.
Silence & Solitude
Contemplative prayer works best in silent reflection by yourself. Jesus, whose life revolved around relationships and reaching others, modeled this by withdrawing from the crowds and his followers to rest his mind, body and spirit. “Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, he called his disciples to him." (Luke 6:12-13) "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” (Mark 1:35) Especially for those whose lives are packed to the brim or dependent on others, finding a space that is calm and is conducive for a clear headspace seems terrifying. In fact, as the Washington Post reports, "In one famous experiment, people were asked to sit quietly for 15 minutes in a room with nothing but their own thoughts. They had the option to hit a button and give themselves an electric shocked. Getting physically shocked is unpleasant, but many people preferred it to the emotional discomfort of boredom. Out of 42 participants, nearly half opted to press the button at least once, even though they had experienced the shock earlier in the study and reported they would pay money to avoid experiencing it again." This experiment sheds light on the fact that getting into a quiet place of silence and solitude may be uncomfortable at first. It's going to take practice, but the goal of contemplative prayer is push past the discomfort. There's something to be found on the other side. In fact, how difficult it is to sit with our own thoughts in silence is a warning sign of where our emotional health is currently at. This is something that needs to be addressed. Use your environment to make this experience more comfortable for you. The atmosphere around you matters when entering into a place of deep contemplation. For some people that could look like a dimly lit room with soft music, while for others that could look like an idyllic meadow on a mountainside. The point is not how beautiful you can make the scenery, but how much you can orient your body in a place of peace to start with that relaxed, still, and open foundation.
Be Open
As followers of Jesus, the Spirit of God lives within us, so it may sound odd to "invite" the Holy Spirit into a moment. But what this really means is simply acknowledging the presence of the Holy Spirit and asking that we grow more aware of God. It's a statement that our hearts are in an open place, ready to receive. If you’re open, you can start by saying this short prayer invitation: "Holy Spirit, guide me in this practice. Help me to be aware of what you're doing in this moment. Help me to ground and center myself in your presence and discern what you're trying to say to me. I am available and open at this moment to receive and make my mind, body, and soul available to you. Amen." Pairing this with scripture can also be a powerful way to engage with contemplative prayer. Historically referred to as Lectio Devina, the practice of meditating on specific verses helps us become aware of what thoughts are coming to mind and what the Holy Spirit might be revealing to us.
Reflect
If you've ever journaled, you know that even if no one ever reads your writings, it's a beneficial way for you to process. It's easy to compartmentalize things in our lives or pretend like nothing ever happened, but eventually those un-worked through thoughts are going to catch up to us. One element of contemplative prayer is reflecting on our days, weeks, months, and years with God. If you prefer more structure, there are prayers like the Prayer of Examen, which is another more templatized way of reflecting with God. And often our times of reflection start with what we're grateful for, and what brought us joy in the previous week. Even from a non-spiritual standpoint, the scientific world has shown numerous benefits of simply expressing gratitude consistently. "Benefits associated with gratitude include better sleep, more exercise, reduced symptoms of physical pain, lower levels of inflammation, lower blood pressure and a host of other things we associate with better health," says Glenn Fox, a professor at University of Southern California known for his research into the science of gratitude. Though it's important to incorporate gratitude, reflecting should welcome all of our emotions and enable a healthy processing of the good, the bad, the indifferent, the worrisome, the frustrating, and the hopeful. There really is no formula for reflecting, as your own experiences will dictate what you ultimately end up reflecting on.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
We leave you with this as a reminder, contemplative prayer is not a ritual intended to be part of a regimen of mandated practices. Be mindful of your heart posture and focus on building a rhythm of continual quiet time and reflection with God. You may not experience a significant change in the near-term, but this practice can be incredibly fulfilling over the long haul. Reflecting, whether in a spiritual context or not, stops us in our tracks and gives us a breather from the endless hamster wheel of life we seem to constantly be running and burning out on. However, when it is a process done with Jesus, it adds a whole other layer of being able to sit in a moment with the creator and author of your soul. While there is a time and place to intercede, worship, or lament, contemplative prayer is about coming to a place of stillness and focus with God and remembering that our transformation into becoming more like him comes not through our effort or works, but through his grace, truth, and love. To learn more, click here to visit our Prayer Hub.
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