Be still and know that I am God.
(Psalm 46:10)
For the last several weeks, I've been sharing different ways of praying from a prayer study by John Mark Comer that the middle and high school summer Bible study has been going through. If I’m right, this final one, "contemplative prayer", will either become your favorite or your least favorite way to pray! I've got to be honest, I expected it to be my least favorite. Not because I don't think it's a great idea, but because it's so hard for me to stop my mind! However, in times of intense stress, contemplative prayer is something I use frequently and intentionally. Still, it's not the prayer stage I particularly gravitate to in my day-to-day life.
Surprisingly, as I reviewed the material for this lesson, I realized that I'd overthought it. According to Comer, I've been using aspects of contemplative prayer frequently--just without a label. For instance: I love traveling, and my family has had the opportunity to visit several National Parks in the last few years. When I get to a new place, I find myself shifting very easily into meditating on God's artistry. I think of how He created the world for our enjoyment. Of how beautiful the world is even though all creation has been groaning since sin entered the world. I remember that God is always present, that He holds everything together, and that He makes beauty from catastrophe. Even as I wrote this, Psalm 91:1 came to mind: "Those who dwell in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty." Appreciating God's work feels like resting in His shadow.
Aspects of Contemplative Prayer
Contemplative prayer involves looking at God's love, yielding to God's love, and resting in God's love.
Looking at God's love is simply paying attention to Him. Noticing Him. In my example, the difference between admiring beautiful scenery and prayer is simply acknowledging that God created it.
Yielding to God's love means to accept God's plans for us. Comer calls it the opposite of petition and intercessory prayer. For example, when Jesus prayed just before His arrest, He first petitioned God to change His circumstances, but then yielded, saying, "Not my will, but yours be done."
Lastly, Comer calls resting in God's love a "portable sabbath." He says it feels much less like work than other types of prayer!
Why Use Contemplative Prayer?
In addition to being a great way to connect with God, contemplative prayer is also very good for us.
Years ago, I wrote a Friedens Connection article about the anterior cingulate after attending a seminar on teen psychology that completely changed the way I connect with teenagers. The anterior cingulate is a part of the brain that functions something like a see-saw, and strengthening it through mental exercise allows us to better choose to move from a stress response into more emotionally regulated, logical thinking.
Any guesses which mental exercises neuroscientists have found strengthen the anterior cingulate?
Meditative prayer and worship.
It shouldn't surprise us when scientists discover something like this: our brains work better when we are well-connected with God.
I was so excited when Comer referenced the anterior cingulate in this part of his study. A new piece of information I learned from him is that the way we perceive God has a major effect on our brains. If we view God as loving, compassionate, and slow-to-anger, contemplative prayer will help us to become more loving, compassionate, and slow-to-anger ourselves. Unfortunately, the opposite is also true: thinking of God as a judgmental tyrant ends up making people fearful and negatively affects how they treat others, particularly those they disagree with.
While our main goal in prayer is not improving our mental health, communicating with God in contemplative prayer has numerous mental health benefits!
Challenges to Contemplative Prayer
Distractions, boredom, and busyness can challenge our ability to pray contemplatively. We should not be hard on ourselves or think we're bad at it when we experience these challenges. It just means we're human and that we need practice. Comer suggests redirecting our thoughts--as many times as it takes. Even 1-2 minutes of practice a day is a great start.
Your Turn
Choose a place and a time for just a few minutes of contemplative prayer. When I was practicing it intentionally in my daily prayer time, I went to the same place every morning. I also started setting a timer on my phone because my mind and body were so geared towards getting to the next task that I'd constantly watch the clock! The timer allowed me to close my eyes and stop stressing about what time it was or thinking of the next thing on my to-do list. The students did this for five minutes, and nearly everyone said it went by really quickly!
There are many great ways to practice contemplative prayer, so instead of giving more examples or instructions, I will trust that you can find ways it works best for you. As always, if you're giving it a try, I'd love to hear from you! Feel free to use the contact form at the bottom of this page.
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