In youth ministry I’ve often talked about how we approach prayer as a one-way street. We usually do all the talking and God does all the listening. I then ask youth if they have a friend who is always talking and never listening. How does that feel? It isn’t really a conversation, is it? I wonder with them if God might also be waiting to talk and all we need to do is just simply sit down and listen.
During the month of July, I hope to encourage deep listening to God through the practice of Centering Prayer. I can speak personally to how it has transformed my life and the way I approach each day. Luke Edwards from The Listening Church offers this resource as one example of how to practice Centering Prayer.
- Choose a sacred word as the symbol that you can return to when your thoughts wander.
- Sitting comfortably and with eyes closed, settle briefly and silently into your sacred word.
- When your thoughts, feelings, or images pop up, return ever-so-gently to your sacred word.
- At the end of the prayer period, remain in silence with eyes closed for a couple of minutes.
Begin a timer for 15-30 minutes and close your eyes.
End your time with a peaceful chime, bell, or a quiet “Amen.”
Try not to get frustrated as your thoughts wander. Just remember God’s loving embrace that keeps welcoming you back each time you stray.
There is also an app called Centering Prayer by Contemplative Outreach that is helpful with setting up prayers, chimes, and timers for this practice. It is one of my favorite apps.
Centering Prayer is a silent prayer that prepares us to receive the gift of contemplative prayer, prayer in which we experience God’s presence within us, closer than breathing, closer than thinking, closer than consciousness itself. This method of prayer is both a relationship with God and a discipline to foster that relationship.
May your conversation with God be a joyous listening and not a one-way street.
Deacon Jason