Contemplation

We learn to ask, and we learn to listen. Our questions change as we get older, but we never stop asking. Where the discipline of meditation is about keeping our attention focused, contemplation is asking and then listening for a response. The One who holds all creation in His hands chooses to speak softly. He speaks in ways that are often missed. Our God is kind and gentle with us. Again and again, in the scriptures and in life, we miss the message and purpose of God. As they approached Jerusalem, the disciples had been following Jesus for years yet continued to ask questions that didn’t make sense to Jesus. Neither had they learned how to listen for the answers that Jesus was giving.

Let us start with compassion and grace for ourselves and one another. Contemplation is an imperfect, long, and difficult discipline to learn. Mastery of contemplation eludes us all. Yet, the treasure of being in the presence of God in this way is worth it. All our fumbling and effort is seen and treasured by God, who meets us in our innermost places. Prayerful contemplation is an intimate way of being with our Lord, Savior, and Christ. All we need to do is silently ask God and then listen.

Contemplative prayer invites us into a posture of openness to the unknown. It requires all that we have learned through the disciplines of silence and meditation. Silence helps us to be still, accepting, and present. Meditation helps us restfully focus and return our focus. Contemplation is different from meditation in where we focus our attention. In contemplative prayer, we start with an expectation that the Holy Spirit is present with us and will guide us. We therefore invite the Spirit to bring His illuminating light.

Now we ask our question, trusting in faith that God has heard us. With time, we will learn to ask better questions. Contemplative prayer seldom includes petitions, where we ask God for specific things. Rather, this discipline invites us to explore asking different kinds of questions. Contemplative practices ask God to reveal the ways He is loving, gracious, and present. They invite God to help us in our lack of understanding. We can also invite the Holy Spirit to teach us what questions to ask.

One example of a question comes from a daily examen. We can ask the Lord to reveal to us the ways He was with us that day that we did not notice. As with all Christian prayer, thoughts, emotions, and words can move in both directions. We allow ourselves to receive from our God and focus ourselves on all that comes to us. Once we have asked, we take time to listen.

To listen well is rare. The disciples struggled to correctly hear what Jesus was telling them about the Kingdom of Heaven and His coming crucifixion. So we find ourselves resting in silence, trying to listen to God. In this space, remember that prayer lets thoughts, emotions, and words move in both directions. Pay attention to the thoughts and emotions as you become aware of them. Everything that comes to you needs your attention. These things will have come from either yourself, God, or somewhere else.

As we listen, let us pledge to keep these revelations to ourselves. A posture of meekness does not lord over others what the Lord may have spoken to us in silence. Everything we hear needs to be held lightly, for we are just as likely to mishear as the disciples did. The Holy Spirit dwelling within us does not mean we have perfection in hearing, listening, or knowing.

The first thing we should do is to understand if this thought or emotion has come from ourselves. This requires us to develop deep self-knowing. The majority of things that arise in contemplative prayer are our own thoughts, emotions, and words. This is okay and can be wonderfully enriching. We seldom take time to listen to ourselves. It is possible that the Holy Spirit will lead us to answers that are already within ourselves. It is common for God to bring to mind scripture, memories, or ideas that are our own. Be aware that we often think about what we desire and long for. When praying contemplatively, it is good practice to assume things that match our desires and longings have come from ourselves.

Next, we practice prayerfully letting go of what has come to our attention that is identified as a part of us. If these things are not related to your question, let us take care to let them go. There is no right way to do this. We will need to acknowledge it, accept it, and set it down again.

When something comes to our attention that is not from us, it may be from the Lord.

We must be careful here because we are full of thoughts and emotions. When something does not seem like it is from us, it does not mean it is from God, but it might be. Just as we used our knowledge of ourselves earlier, here we use our knowledge of Jesus.

It will take an eternity to know all there is about our God. Yet, we know His nature and character in the person of Jesus. We know that God is love, and is without shame. We know that grace and mercy abound in the heart of Jesus. We know that it is natural to grieve our sinfulness in light of our longing to be like Christ. Jesus came that we may have life, and that we would choose life over death.

Take time to memorize the fruit of the Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The Spirit of God is all these things. The very essence of God is all these things!

Take what has come to mind. Does it resonate with what we know to be true about our God? If it does not, it is best to set it down and listen for what will come next. If you are confident that it does resonate with what we know to be true about God, praise God for revealing it to you. Treasure what God has shared with you in the depths of yourself.