Into God's Presence
I don’t know about you but there are
times I find it hard to pray! Most of us find prayer and Bible study difficult,
and we dread being asked about our prayer life. It’s like being back in school
and not having done your homework. I think we’d do each other a favour by
admitting how hard we find it to pray and how much we struggle to find time or
even the inclination. God wants us to be real with him, so perhaps we need to
be more real with each other too. Even Jesus’ disciples asked him to pray!
Jesus responds to us today as he did to his disciples – with an invitation to
come and learn prayer from him, the One whose “yoke is easy”, and he reassures
us with these words:
Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me – watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep Company with me and you’ll learn how to live freely and lightly. (Matthew 11:28 – 30 MSG)
This talk is based on a Liz Babbs book called “Into God’s Presence” and having chatted to monks, nuns, and bishops on the subject she believes our prayer life is a journey, with its inevitable ups and downs and that there is no such thing as an expert. The reassuring fact is that nobody has arrived – it’s an ongoing journey heavenward. All relationships fluctuate and take time to build and maintain, but I’m sure that God loves it even if we can only spend a minute with Him. Wouldn’t you want to spend a minute with your closest friend?
So what is meditation?
Spirituality is a popular word these days. In fact, an awareness of all things spiritual has multiplied in the past decade and created something of a spiritual supermarket. Even the word spiritual has been taken over by our consumerist culture and is seen as simply another way to get more out of life.
Not surprisingly, meditation techniques are becoming increasingly popular. In this age of self-help and self-enlightenment, many see it simply as a means to de-stress and achieve a sense of peace and well-being.
For the Christian, however, spirituality is not about getting more; it is, rather, essentially about relationship – a relationship focused on God, which embraces every aspect of one’s being. Centred on the teachings of Jesus, this relationship involves Bible study, prayer and contemplation.
When some people hear the word meditation, an automatic word association takes place; for them, meditation, equals transcendental meditation (TM).
This is understandable because back in the 1960’s, the Beatles popularised this form of meditation, and so all meditation became synonymous with TM. Many people don’t even realise that TM has a religious origin – in Hinduism.
Unfortunately, many Christians seem to be unaware of their own rich tradition in meditation – a tradition that originates in the Bible! The church has done little to encourage us to explore our roots in Christian meditation, a fact that has not only contributed to our current spiritual poverty but has meant that we are not being heard as Christians in today’s spiritual marketplace. It’s not surprising then that many describe meditation and contemplative prayer as “the best kept secret in the church”.
In his book Meditation – Why and How by Rev. Leonard C. Wilson, he describes meditation as follows;
Meditation is a mental and spiritual activity between an individual, or group, and God. The creation of a quiet space where one can be alone with God. The inner stillness in which God can speak, and an openness to God through which he can pour the gifts of his Spirit.
Meditation directs the mind away from self, and concentrates it upon God. It stops us thinking of ourselves, our difficulties, our needs and lets the mind soar beyond all this to God. In the silence of meditation we are learning how to open our hearts to the healing power of God’s love; then, because of the close link between our physical and mental states, the body responds in a variety of ways; it may be an increase in vitality, greater resistance to infection, the easing of tensions, pain or other physical disorders.
So what is Christian Meditation?
Christian meditation is a deep form of prayer that can lead to direct communion with God. It is not focused on experiences or requests, but on surrender. We are learning the simplicity of being with God.
When we emphasise experience we are in danger of developing a consumerist pick-‘n’-mix spirituality, where God’s presents to us matter more than his presence. Christian meditation is centred on listening to God and obeying his Word. There is no vague, unintelligible mantra spoken. We are simply following the instruction in the Bible to meditate on God’s Word: “Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful” (Joshua 1:8).
Christian meditation differs from other forms of meditation because it does not require us to empty our minds and hearts, nor does it encourage a preoccupation with self. To quote Joyce Huggett in her book Learning the Language of Prayer:
Christian meditation must not be confused with yoga, Eastern meditation or transcendental meditation. For unlike these disciplines, Christian meditation engages every part of us – our mind, our emotions, our imagination, our creativity and, supremely, our will.
So how should we prepare ourselves?
I have found the mobile phone to be a good analogy and has helped me to have a much fuller understanding of the importance of prayer and meditation in my life and to communicate this with others. Like mobile communication, our relationship with God is dynamic; it’s every day, every hour, every minute, and it can be every bit as “cool” and exciting.
1) Switching On
First, before you can use the mobile phone, you have to switch it on. In the same way we have to take time to switch on to God, to show our willingness to spend time with him. Just expressing to him your openness is a start, as in this simple prayer:
Lord, help me to focus on you,
As we spend time together today.
Renew my mind and help me to let go
Of all the clutter that gets in the way.
2) Registering
Next, my mobile phone has to take a few seconds to register its connection to the phone system, which is a reminder to me to acknowledge my own connectedness to God. You need to admit your dependence on that connection:
Lord, you are my Father and Saviour,
Creator and Lord
Apart from you
I can do
Nothing.
3) Searching
Then my mobile phone screen tells me that it is searching for the particular person I am trying to call. It is trying to find his or her signal. This is like tuning into God’s presence, taking time just to be quiet and hear that “still small voice” of God. But if I hear nothing, I have not failed, because even wasting time with the one we love is valuable. In fact, it’s at the heart of prayer. As lovers grow in intimacy, words become unnecessary. We don’t spend time with God for what we get from him. Wasting time with God is always an investment. One day we will have nothing but time to spend with God – so our quiet time and Sabbath rests now are simply preparation for heaven.
4) Signal Strength Low
Tiredness, stress, anxiety, illness, relationship difficulties, interruptions, children screaming in another room will interfere with our ability to focus on God. Somehow, we have to learn either how to ignore the internal and external noises or how to incorporate them in such a way that they no longer become a distraction.
5) Battery Low
What a wonderful reminder battery low is. My mobile phone will only function foe twenty four hours before it displays this warning. At that point I have to recharge its batteries by plugging it into an electricity source.
In the same way we have to keep coming back to base, returning to our Source, which is God. This is exactly what Jesus did when he took time out to be with his Father: “After leaving them, he (Jesus) went up on a mountain to pray” (Mark 6:46).
The pattern of ministering and withdrawal, giving out and then receiving, is biblical. It is modelled by Jesus, and Jesus encouraged his disciples to adopt the same pattern. “Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest” “ (Mark 6:31).
We too can be recharged, re-energised and refocused by returning to base and taking time out with our Father.
6) Charging complete...
What a lovely thought! When our charging is complete, we are ready to face anything!
Are you ready to spend some time with God?
The first things you need to focus on are...
Becoming Still
In Psalm 46:10 God tells us to “Be still and know that I am God”
It certainly is a struggle to switch off from the busyness of life, and plug in to God. I usually find that music helps me to relax, or focusing on my breathing. Distractions, to do lists, anxiety and mind-chatter are the norm when meditating, so don’t think you’ve failed before you’ve started! Have a note pad at hand to jot important things down to help your concentration.
If you are still struggling to switch off, you could imagine that you have a special volume dial on the side of your head and visualise yourself turning down the noise and mind-chatter as you rotate the dial. I know this sounds strange, but I find this is a helpful technique.
Breathing
It has been said that that art of relaxation is concentration. As we concentrate on our breathing, it helps us to take our minds off other preoccupations and focus them on God who breathes life into all creation.
Try this simple breathing exercise to get you started:
· Inhale 1,2 ...
· Hold 1,2
· Exhale 1,2,3,4...
· Repeat several times
· Inhale 1,2, 3...
· Hold 1,2,3
· Exhale 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6...
· Repeat several times
Now try breathing “in the name of Jesus” as we breathe.
1)The Jesus Prayer
The Jesus prayer is an ancient prayer that comes in many forms, the most famous of which is “Lord Jesus, have mercy upon me, a sinner”. But an even simpler form is to repeat the name Jesus.
Spend a short time focusing on the rhythm of your breathing, and then repeat the name Jesus silently to yourself allowing the Holy Spirit to breathe new life into you. You could inhale “Je” and exhale “sus”, or say Jesus during or after exhalation...........
As we focus on Jesus in this way, we are reminded that He is our hope, our peace, our joy, our rock and our salvation. It is the name of Jesus that is at the heart of our prayers.... our lives.... our work..... our ministry..... our leisure.... our laughter... and our sorrow. Our whole being is dependent on Jesus.
2) Be Still... Breathe in for 2
And Know... Hold for 2
That I am God.... Breathe out for 4.
3) Going Deeper into God (Five minutes)
Song; Arise my darling.
Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me – watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep Company with me and you’ll learn how to live freely and lightly. (Matthew 11:28 – 30 MSG)
This talk is based on a Liz Babbs book called “Into God’s Presence” and having chatted to monks, nuns, and bishops on the subject she believes our prayer life is a journey, with its inevitable ups and downs and that there is no such thing as an expert. The reassuring fact is that nobody has arrived – it’s an ongoing journey heavenward. All relationships fluctuate and take time to build and maintain, but I’m sure that God loves it even if we can only spend a minute with Him. Wouldn’t you want to spend a minute with your closest friend?
So what is meditation?
Spirituality is a popular word these days. In fact, an awareness of all things spiritual has multiplied in the past decade and created something of a spiritual supermarket. Even the word spiritual has been taken over by our consumerist culture and is seen as simply another way to get more out of life.
Not surprisingly, meditation techniques are becoming increasingly popular. In this age of self-help and self-enlightenment, many see it simply as a means to de-stress and achieve a sense of peace and well-being.
For the Christian, however, spirituality is not about getting more; it is, rather, essentially about relationship – a relationship focused on God, which embraces every aspect of one’s being. Centred on the teachings of Jesus, this relationship involves Bible study, prayer and contemplation.
When some people hear the word meditation, an automatic word association takes place; for them, meditation, equals transcendental meditation (TM).
This is understandable because back in the 1960’s, the Beatles popularised this form of meditation, and so all meditation became synonymous with TM. Many people don’t even realise that TM has a religious origin – in Hinduism.
Unfortunately, many Christians seem to be unaware of their own rich tradition in meditation – a tradition that originates in the Bible! The church has done little to encourage us to explore our roots in Christian meditation, a fact that has not only contributed to our current spiritual poverty but has meant that we are not being heard as Christians in today’s spiritual marketplace. It’s not surprising then that many describe meditation and contemplative prayer as “the best kept secret in the church”.
In his book Meditation – Why and How by Rev. Leonard C. Wilson, he describes meditation as follows;
Meditation is a mental and spiritual activity between an individual, or group, and God. The creation of a quiet space where one can be alone with God. The inner stillness in which God can speak, and an openness to God through which he can pour the gifts of his Spirit.
Meditation directs the mind away from self, and concentrates it upon God. It stops us thinking of ourselves, our difficulties, our needs and lets the mind soar beyond all this to God. In the silence of meditation we are learning how to open our hearts to the healing power of God’s love; then, because of the close link between our physical and mental states, the body responds in a variety of ways; it may be an increase in vitality, greater resistance to infection, the easing of tensions, pain or other physical disorders.
So what is Christian Meditation?
Christian meditation is a deep form of prayer that can lead to direct communion with God. It is not focused on experiences or requests, but on surrender. We are learning the simplicity of being with God.
When we emphasise experience we are in danger of developing a consumerist pick-‘n’-mix spirituality, where God’s presents to us matter more than his presence. Christian meditation is centred on listening to God and obeying his Word. There is no vague, unintelligible mantra spoken. We are simply following the instruction in the Bible to meditate on God’s Word: “Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful” (Joshua 1:8).
Christian meditation differs from other forms of meditation because it does not require us to empty our minds and hearts, nor does it encourage a preoccupation with self. To quote Joyce Huggett in her book Learning the Language of Prayer:
Christian meditation must not be confused with yoga, Eastern meditation or transcendental meditation. For unlike these disciplines, Christian meditation engages every part of us – our mind, our emotions, our imagination, our creativity and, supremely, our will.
So how should we prepare ourselves?
I have found the mobile phone to be a good analogy and has helped me to have a much fuller understanding of the importance of prayer and meditation in my life and to communicate this with others. Like mobile communication, our relationship with God is dynamic; it’s every day, every hour, every minute, and it can be every bit as “cool” and exciting.
1) Switching On
First, before you can use the mobile phone, you have to switch it on. In the same way we have to take time to switch on to God, to show our willingness to spend time with him. Just expressing to him your openness is a start, as in this simple prayer:
Lord, help me to focus on you,
As we spend time together today.
Renew my mind and help me to let go
Of all the clutter that gets in the way.
2) Registering
Next, my mobile phone has to take a few seconds to register its connection to the phone system, which is a reminder to me to acknowledge my own connectedness to God. You need to admit your dependence on that connection:
Lord, you are my Father and Saviour,
Creator and Lord
Apart from you
I can do
Nothing.
3) Searching
Then my mobile phone screen tells me that it is searching for the particular person I am trying to call. It is trying to find his or her signal. This is like tuning into God’s presence, taking time just to be quiet and hear that “still small voice” of God. But if I hear nothing, I have not failed, because even wasting time with the one we love is valuable. In fact, it’s at the heart of prayer. As lovers grow in intimacy, words become unnecessary. We don’t spend time with God for what we get from him. Wasting time with God is always an investment. One day we will have nothing but time to spend with God – so our quiet time and Sabbath rests now are simply preparation for heaven.
4) Signal Strength Low
Tiredness, stress, anxiety, illness, relationship difficulties, interruptions, children screaming in another room will interfere with our ability to focus on God. Somehow, we have to learn either how to ignore the internal and external noises or how to incorporate them in such a way that they no longer become a distraction.
5) Battery Low
What a wonderful reminder battery low is. My mobile phone will only function foe twenty four hours before it displays this warning. At that point I have to recharge its batteries by plugging it into an electricity source.
In the same way we have to keep coming back to base, returning to our Source, which is God. This is exactly what Jesus did when he took time out to be with his Father: “After leaving them, he (Jesus) went up on a mountain to pray” (Mark 6:46).
The pattern of ministering and withdrawal, giving out and then receiving, is biblical. It is modelled by Jesus, and Jesus encouraged his disciples to adopt the same pattern. “Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest” “ (Mark 6:31).
We too can be recharged, re-energised and refocused by returning to base and taking time out with our Father.
6) Charging complete...
What a lovely thought! When our charging is complete, we are ready to face anything!
Are you ready to spend some time with God?
The first things you need to focus on are...
Becoming Still
In Psalm 46:10 God tells us to “Be still and know that I am God”
It certainly is a struggle to switch off from the busyness of life, and plug in to God. I usually find that music helps me to relax, or focusing on my breathing. Distractions, to do lists, anxiety and mind-chatter are the norm when meditating, so don’t think you’ve failed before you’ve started! Have a note pad at hand to jot important things down to help your concentration.
If you are still struggling to switch off, you could imagine that you have a special volume dial on the side of your head and visualise yourself turning down the noise and mind-chatter as you rotate the dial. I know this sounds strange, but I find this is a helpful technique.
Breathing
It has been said that that art of relaxation is concentration. As we concentrate on our breathing, it helps us to take our minds off other preoccupations and focus them on God who breathes life into all creation.
Try this simple breathing exercise to get you started:
· Inhale 1,2 ...
· Hold 1,2
· Exhale 1,2,3,4...
· Repeat several times
· Inhale 1,2, 3...
· Hold 1,2,3
· Exhale 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6...
· Repeat several times
Now try breathing “in the name of Jesus” as we breathe.
1)The Jesus Prayer
The Jesus prayer is an ancient prayer that comes in many forms, the most famous of which is “Lord Jesus, have mercy upon me, a sinner”. But an even simpler form is to repeat the name Jesus.
Spend a short time focusing on the rhythm of your breathing, and then repeat the name Jesus silently to yourself allowing the Holy Spirit to breathe new life into you. You could inhale “Je” and exhale “sus”, or say Jesus during or after exhalation...........
As we focus on Jesus in this way, we are reminded that He is our hope, our peace, our joy, our rock and our salvation. It is the name of Jesus that is at the heart of our prayers.... our lives.... our work..... our ministry..... our leisure.... our laughter... and our sorrow. Our whole being is dependent on Jesus.
2) Be Still... Breathe in for 2
And Know... Hold for 2
That I am God.... Breathe out for 4.
3) Going Deeper into God (Five minutes)
Song; Arise my darling.