Contemplative Prayer: Finding Rest and Direction
I just recently finished reading Jan Johnson’s When the Soul Listens, Finding Rest and Direction in Contemplative Prayer.
Is rest and direction something your heart longs for?
As a Spiritual Director, I hear many different versions of the desire to find rest and direction. Overworked, overwhelmed and overspent are feelings that are all too familiar. Uncertainty, anxiety and decision fatigue weary our souls.
In her book, Jan describes contemplative prayer as “prayer in which we still our thoughts and emotions, and focus on God’s own self in an unhurried way”. As I read the description I am reminded how stillness and focus are so often lacking in our lives. Our world does not call us to rest. Many times physical rest is only a reaction to exhaustion. If we are resting our bodies, we are often not resting our minds but instead filling our minds with the images and noise of social media, news or entertainment. What about unhurried? Calm, peace and quiet often elude us. We are so busy achieving, producing, performing and experiencing that our lives feel more like hamster wheels or treadmills than actual living.
In contemplative prayer we are invited to slow down and rest and just be. In this practice, we are given space for transformation of the inner life. As our inner life is transformed, the outer world around us begins to have less of a grip on our lives. We can experience inner calm while living in a world that is going at a frenetic pace.
“To sit in silence before God restores the soul.”
If you would like to spend some time in contemplative prayer, below are some suggested ways to begin:
Plan on setting aside approximately 10 minutes to rest your mind and body.
Find a quiet place where you can be distraction free.
Choose a scripture verse, phrase or truth to meditate on.
Close your eyes and just be.
Allow distracting thoughts pass as you focus your mind on the things of God (scripture, verse, truth, character of God, etc).
Allow yourself to listen.
End your time with gratitude.
The above steps are meant to be a guide as a way to pay attention to God. It is meant to simply be a time to “quiet ourselves and simply enjoy God’s presence.”
Let us take steps to intentionally care for our souls, and make space for peace and joy at a deep and abiding level.