Week 2: Contemplative Prayer
February 8 - 14 (Monday-Sunday)
Open with Prayer: Invite the Holy Spirit to be present, illuminate the Scriptures, and to have Jesus’ will be done today in the group.
Talk Together: (5-10 minutes) In groups of 2-3 ask the following questions:
Last week we talked about prayer lament. What was your experience with practicing this spiritual discipline? Talk about any challenges that you faced.
What did God teach you in this process?
How did praying without ceasing impact your relationship with God?
Read this Overview: (5 minutes) Read this overview, from Prof. Joe McQueen to the whole Group:
Prayer is, for many of us, a struggle. As one of my favorite theologians, Rowan Williams, puts it, “Prayer is something which many Christians are surprisingly embarrassed to talk about. It’s something we know we ought to do. Something we all feel we ought to do more of. Something most of us feel we could be better at. Something which we are convinced almost everybody does better than we do.”
One of the reasons I think prayer can be such a challenge is that we think of God as a distant, all-powerful being somewhere out there in the universe instead of, as Paul says, the One “in whom we live and move and have our being” and the One “in whom all things hold together.” If God is who Paul says He is, if God is holding us in existence here and now, and if He is the one in whom we live and move, then prayer is not some kind of long-distance telephone conversation. Rather, prayer means opening ourselves up to the deepest reality that is with us all the time. Prayer is being still and being quiet long enough to settle down into the Love that is creating us and sustaining us here and now.
Traditionally, the church calls this kind of prayer—prayer where we dwell with God in quietness and stillness—contemplative prayer. We try to silence the distractions, the noise, the smartphones, and the constant barrage of entertainment and advertising—all the things that remove our attention from God’s ever-present love.
I would suggest that contemplative prayer is essential for following Jesus because Jesus Himself did a lot of it when He found time to be alone with the Father. Here Jesus shows us that dwelling with God—the very heart of contemplative prayer—is actually what we want more than anything else. It’s our deepest desire, and in it is true joy, true delight. That is why Paul tells us famously to pray without ceasing. Paul knows that for us to find true thanksgiving and joy, we need to develop an internal silence and stillness where we are always dwelling with God.
For further study, read: Psalm 1:1-2, 1 Kings 19:11-13, John 15:1-4
Talk Together: (5-10 minutes) In your groups of 2-3 ask the following questions:
What comes to mind when you think about contemplative prayer (Fellowship with the Holy Spirit in silence and contemplation)?
What do you think your greatest challenge will be in this practice of prayer?
What are some distractions in your life that prohibit you from being with God? How can you temporarily or permanently remove these distractions?
Dive In: (25 minutes):
Take a minute to be quiet before God. Ask the Holy Spirit to make Himself known and to speak to each person in the room. Pray, “Father, we want to live our life with You. Would you meet with us here and help us be near to You. Father, we desire to know how wide, how long, how deep, and how good is the love of God (Eph. 3:14-21).”
Take the next 15 minutes to go through this practice of being silent and still before God together:
This Week’s Practice:
This week’s practice is to create a space every day to be with God. Not asking Him for anything, maybe a little bit of thanking Him, but most importantly just quietly enjoying the Father’s presence. Take 5 minutes to 30 minutes to simply be with Jesus.
It is helpful for some to have a phrase you say to bring your attention and presence back to Jesus. When your mind wanders—trust me it will—try saying, “Abba, Father.” Breathe in saying “Abba,” and breath out saying, “Father.” Feel free to say a different phrase or scripture verse, this is just one option.
Close Your Time in Prayer.