Questions Abounding

Questions Abounding

9



A Potpourri of Questions

on our knees. We still our thoughts and words, and say, “Lord teach us to pray.” Give us Thy holy desires, and let our prayer be the very echo of Thy will.

A. B. Simpson

Contemporary culture is good at training us in almost everything and anything . . . except prayer. So a multitude of questions inevitably arise when we become serious about learning to grow in our experience of meditative prayer. You may well have many in your mind right now. Hence, in this chapter I want to work with the most common of these questions.

Can you give a simple, straightforward definition of meditative prayer?

Prayer in general is the interactive communication that transpires between God and ourselves. Meditative prayer in particular is the listening side of this communication. We are bringing both mind and heart into the presence of God and then we listen to the Lord.

How do I get started if I have never done this before?

I suggest you begin with one verse from the Bible. Say, Psalm 23:1: “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” Read it over prayerfully two or three times and then wait quietly, listening for anything the Lord may want to teach you or any experience God may desire to give you. It is quite straightforward, really. We are simply learning to develop a conversational relationship with God—us talking with God and God talking with us.

Can you share a little about your own experience of meditative prayer?

Right now I am trying something a bit new for me, and to do it I must first find a Bible I have not marked up! I take a short psalm with no more than fifteen verses. Psalm 29 is a good example. I do three readings of the psalm. The first time, I read the psalm out loud to myself, after which I am still for a few moments. On my second reading, I use a felt marking pen and highlight any verses or phrases that speak to my condition. I do this with a prayerful heart trusting that the Lord will focus my attention on what I really need. After the reading I again become completely quiet for a few moments.

On the third reading, I actually do not read the whole psalm but only the passages I have highlighted on the second reading. As I read for the third time, a single verse or phrase often will stand out and that is the passage to which I give my attention. In the case of Psalm 29 the phrase I felt drawn to was “worship the Lord in holy splendor” (29:2). I jot this verse or phrase on a small note card so I can carry it with me throughout the day. But I am not done. Having turned my attention to a particular passage, I sit quietly, listening to the Lord. What am I doing? I am waiting upon the Lord. I am attending to the Lord. I am beholding the Lord. The reading part of my meditation may have taken fifteen minutes, and now the waiting in a listening silence will take perhaps another fifteen minutes. Often I have a cup of coffee with me and slowly sip the coffee as I listen. As with good friends there does not need to be any words. Still, I seek to be attentive to any teaching or experience the Lord wants to bring to me.

I am the mother of a new baby. Is meditative prayer possible for me?

No, not in any ordinary sense. I would say the same to new fathers. New parents are lucky just to make it through the day! And their sleep is constantly interrupted at night. So I suggest you rest easy with yourself. The Lord knows your heart and understands. After all, God set up the mother-baby arrangement in the first place. If you are nursing, you have a lovely image for the transference of life . . . as your little one is receiving its life from you, you can breathe a prayer to receive life from the Lord. That is enough. In a year or two your baby will not need the constant attention that is now the case, and then you can return to your prayer practice in a more normal fashion.

Whenever I try to meditate I find myself falling asleep. Any counsel?

It is a sad reality that so many of us live with the emotional spring wound so tightly that the moment we begin to relieve the tension, sleep overtakes us. The ultimate answer to this problem is to learn better how to get in touch with our bodies and our emotions. We need to learn that fully alert and fully relaxed are completely compatible states. I find, however, that most of us cannot learn this in an instant. And so I would suggest if you find yourself falling asleep when you try to meditate, rather than chide and condemn yourself, accept the sleep gratefully, for no doubt you need it. Besides, as Brother Lawrence has noted, “ by the Holy Spirit move forward even while sleeping.” In time you will discover that the problem will recede into the background.

Do you have some favorite Bible passages you use for meditation?

I range over the entire Bible: sometimes focusing on personalities in the Old Testament, sometimes on the psalms or the prophets, sometimes on Jesus’ acts of compassion, sometimes on Jesus’ parables, sometimes on the cross and resurrection, sometimes on the epistles and so forth. I don’t have a favorite per se. But let me give you seven passages as a kind of starter kit. You could use one passage each day for a week or, better yet, stay with one passage for a week and then go to the next passage for the second week and so forth, giving you seven weeks of meditation passages. I suggest the seven great “I am” passages of Jesus. Be sure to include the entire passage in your meditation.

How can I be sure that I am hearing the voice of God?

It is very important to have the answer to this question clear in your mind. Remember, Satan pushes and condemns, God draws and encourages. You can tell the difference. Get clear in your mind the great teaching in the New Testament of the Christlikeness of God . . . God is like Jesus. Then, become intimately familiar with Jesus, first from the Gospel records and then in your personal experience. Cling to the words of Jesus that he is the good Shepherd and that his sheep “know his voice” (Jn 10:4). God will always draw you to what is life-giving, to those things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely and of a good report (Phil 4:8).

Does God Speak Today? has compiled stories of people who have received “words” from God, as well as fourteen cases that are pretty clearly mistaken claims of hearing from God. This study will help clarify for you when God is speaking. You may want to review the teaching in chapter six of this book about discerning the voice of God. Then, if any questions remain, share your concern with a friend who is seasoned in the working of the Spirit. Trust me, with a little practice you will become clear when you are hearing the voice of God.

Is it really necessary for me to meditate?

No . . . and yes. You don’t need to talk with your parents in order to be their child. But why wouldn’t you? And if you talk with them, wouldn’t you also want to listen to what they might want to say? A healthy back-and-forth conversation produces a healthy relationship. The same is true with God. How I wish I could adequately convey to you how much God desires our presence. We have been created for an intimate conversational relationship with God. Just remember the wise counsel of Thomas Merton: “ he can simply begin meditating without praying for the desire and the grace to do so, will soon give up. But the desire to meditate, and the grace to begin meditating, should be taken as an implicit promise of further graces. In meditation, as in anything else in the Christian life, everything depends on our correspondence with the grace of the Holy Spirit.”

When is the best time for meditation?

The answer to this question varies from person to person and often is different for individuals at different points in their life. For example, in my high-school years the morning hour was especially valuable; as a college student a free hour just before lunch met my needs better; in graduate school less frequent but more extended periods were most helpful; and in the middle-age years the morning time again seemed best. You will find your own rhythm. If possible, find the time when your energy level is at its peak and give that, the best of your day, to this sacred work.

Where is the best place for meditation?

To this I want to make three observations. First, every place is sacred in the Lord, and we need to know that wherever we are is holy ground. We are a portable sanctuary and by the power of God we sanctify all places. My second observation is, however, a bit antithetical to the first. Most of us find certain places more conductive to meditative prayer than others. In addition, there do seem to be certain special “thin places” where a sense of the Shekinah of God is especially near. We do well to find a place of beauty that is quiet, comfortable and free from emotional and physical distraction. With a little creativity most of us can arrange such a place with minimal effort.

Third, I have discovered that certain activities are particularly conducive to meditative prayer. Swimming and jogging are singularly appropriate for this interior work. A brisk walk is often enhanced by whispering the Jesus Prayer in tune to your stride . . . “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” Some have found gardening a happy time to know “the Lord, who made heaven and earth” (Ps 124:8). For a few years I enjoyed periods of meditation while riding the bus to work; while it takes a little practice to disregard the ordinary commotion, it soon becomes a wonderful place of solitude.

Is one length of time better than another?

For the most part this is a matter of your past experience and internal readiness. Some live so frantically that five or ten minutes of quietness stretches them to the limit. But with a little practice thirty to forty minutes should feel comfortable. Let your own needs and abilities determine your schedule. It is better to take small portions and digest them fully than to attempt to gorge yourself and get spiritual indigestion.

What posture is best?

Again the answer lies in what fits you best . . . with this one qualification. Most of us fail to understand how helpful the body can be in spiritual work. For example, if we feel particularly distracted and out of touch with spiritual things, a consciously chosen posture of kneeling can help call the inner spirit to attention. Romano Guardini points out that the simple Christian act of kneeling is intended as a “, not of comfort.” I suggest sitting in a comfortable but straight chair with the back correctly positioned and both feet flat on the floor. Richard Rolle said that in “, and my heart most upward.” The hands outstretched or placed on the knees palms up gently nudges the inner mind into a stance of receptivity.

Does meditative prayer exclude an active life?

Oh no. Far from it. William Penn observed, “ men out of the world, but enables them to live better in it and excites their endeavors to mend it.” The tradition of a life of prayer leading people into the most vigorous active life is long and well documented. Think of St. Patrick hurled by God into Ireland to be the answer to its spiritual poverty. Think of St. Francis thrust into a worldwide ministry of compassion for all people, for all animals, for all creation. Think of Elizabeth Fry driven by divine compassion into the hellhole of Newgate prison, which led to her great work of prison reform. Think of William Wilberforce laboring his entire life for the abolition of the slave trade. Think of William and Catherine Booth serving tirelessly among the homeless of London, which eventually led to the founding of the Salvation Army. Think of Father Damion living and suffering and dying among the lepers of Moloki. Think of Mother Teresa ministering among the poorest of the poor in India and throughout the world. Gordon Cosby has observed, “ when the two emphases—contemplation and action—intersect and become one, for the true contemplative is a man of action.”

How does my personal experience of meditative prayer relate to the gathered experience of worship? Or does it?

It does indeed. If only a few individuals have developed an intimate, ongoing conversational relationship with God, it will affect the entire atmosphere of the gathered community. The entertainment show that is so characteristic of contemporary worship will begin to feel plastic and artificial, and people will instinctively seek something deeper, more profound. Nothing needs to be said nor any complaints made. It is the very substance of your life that will have an effect and draw others like a magnet toward Christ. Plus, you are free to simply be with the people in all their loving and frustrating ways.

Are there books you would recommend I read on meditative prayer?

Thomas Merton rightly observed, “ from a book. You just have to meditate.” Now, I am glad you are reading this book, and I hope it is helpful to you. But the purpose of any book on meditation is to get us into the practice of meditation just like a book on the rules for the game of soccer is intended to get us out on the field and into the game. At the back of this book is an appendix with some suggested readings. However, it is important that we not just read but “get into the game.”

Should I talk about my meditative experiences to others?

Not much. An oak tree can send a tap root down sixty feet in search of water, and its tiered root system will permeate different layers of the soil. Some of these roots will extend out more than twice the drip line. Yet we will have picnics under the shade of this giant oak, and our children climb in its branches without a single thought about the root system that makes the great tree possible. So for us. The root system of prayer is for the sake of the substance of the life of the person.

You may remember that Paul had an experience of being caught up into the third heaven. Were you also aware that it was fourteen years before he said anything about it? Or that he spoke of it only because he was pressured to discuss “visions and revelations”? Or that he refused to speak about what he learned for he “heard things that are not to be told, that no mortal is permitted to repeat” (2 Cor 12:1-4)? You see, some experiences are meant for us alone. Now and again it may be appropriate to share a little of our experience, but even then it should be done discreetly and with humility of heart.

Questions Abounding

You still have many more questions, I’m sure. Me too. It is good to know that we are not left to our own devices. Jesus is our present Teacher. He will guide us into what we need to know when we need to know it.

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