Prayer & Meditation: Diving into a Deeper Relationship with the LORD
A risky venture....
I set them up. I knew going into it that asking this of them was a risky venture. This group of women who are so precious to me...searching, yearning, and listening for the "right" idea.
Who am I talking about? My latest group of IMPACT Academy members. We've been talking and learning about The One Thing for a couple of weeks now and the goal of the course is for them to PICK one thing on which to focus. Oh, the stress of it!!! There are so many options! What if they choose the wrong one? What if they can't follow through? What if, what if, what if.....
I knew these questions and concerns (and many others!) were running through their minds...So, I gave them a homework assignment....meditation.
What's so risky about that?
Well, there could be a lot of misconceptions about what I mean when I say MEDITATION.It's quite a buzz word right now. Especially around the terms of spirituality, mindfulness, self, and universe. Now, nothing is wrong with any of these ideas, but some may think that meditation can take them AWAY from God and toward some other self-centered spirituality.
So, I carefully shared with these ladies, and now with you, about what I mean when I say meditation and how it can actually deepen our relationship with the LORD.
Our prayer life can tend to be a lot of...Talking, lists, petitions, and gratitude. In other words, a lot of us talking and GOD listening.
Nothing wrong with that!! Talking, sharing, and openness are essential to any quality relationship. And that's what we want with God. A quality relationship and union.
Prayer can be developed with regular practice. We can have scripted prayers, off-the-cuff prayers, special prayer services, and quick parking lot prayers. We can use comfortable, everyday language, or elevated language. It's all beautiful and appropriate.
Meditation is almost like the flip-side of the same coin.
If prayer is usually about TALKING to God, meditation can be labeled as LISTENING to God.
Listening, silence, connection to the body....these are all terms that could be used to describe meditation. In my thinking and practice, meditation is STILL ALL ABOUT developing a deeper relationship with the LORD. But, rather than all of the talking that goes along with "regular" prayer life, I'm deliberately making the time and space to listen.
Don't we need more of that in this crazy, hectic life??!!
How I practice prayer and meditation...My prayer and meditation time flow from one to the other. I start the day with Bible reading, I give my petitions and gratitude to the LORD, then I sit in silence for a few minutes to listen. It is quiet, before the rest of the house is awake. Sitting in a comfortable chair with a warm cup of coffee.
One wouldn't even have to label it as two separate practices, prayer AND meditation, but I find that it helps me to remember to listen and to be still to hear the "still small voice" or the "whisper in the wind" that is most often how the LORD speaks.I hope the differentiation is helpful to you as well.
Quick Meditation Tips:
It takes practice! Expect it to be hard at first.
Start by focusing on your breaths.
It doesn't need to take a long time--5 breaths in and out is a good place to start.
You won't usually hear the VOICE OF GOD during the silence.
You will get better at listening.
The next IMPACT Academy Book Club: The One Thing starts July 12 and is filling up fast! Write a quick reply to make sure you're on the waiting list to receive updates and find out how to register. Only 12 total spots will be available.