Entering silence and God's presence, it's common to be bombarded with feelings and images. More often than not these are very familiar thoughts and pictures. Habituated, resentments, fears, longings. Sometimes vague, sometimes very specific. People who attempt contemplative prayer are often overwhelmed and discouraged by the relentlessness and banality of these feelings and images. It's hard to enter a sacred space, hoping for peace and insight only to find one's self there yammering away, in an unflattering manner.
The usual advice from prayer practitioners is to return to the breath, or a sacred word, to effectively start from scratch over and over again. I can attest to the value of this effort.
What I'm recommending as an alternative is not that different, but it does feel more active and purposeful.
Instead of turning away from the internal noise and towards the silence its possible to look at the onslaught of repetitive thoughts and feelings and say, "I've seen that before," and as an act of faith in the God who wants to show you a better way, say, "show me something I don't see that will help me love more truly."
The effect is that the repetitive thoughts, feelings, and images immediately lose their allure. You already know that. It's old news. Feckless and disheartening. What you need is something new. A new perspective, a new feeling about the people and circumstances in your life, a new vision of who you are and how you might live. Eyes to see and ears to hear. That's what Jesus said we needed most.
Once the repetitive stuff loses its hold, it becomes easier to look with hopeful expectation to the Abba of Jesus for what you've never imagined before. And it's surprisingly easy to discern the divine lure from the same old same old. The most obvious being that its new, or at least fresh. Additionally, the voice of God and the imagery of the spirit of God are full of love and truth, remembrance and unveiling. The thoughts, feelings, and images that help one understand the enemy, give one courage and hope, lead one to desire the good and the beautiful, these are what awaits when you practice the Show Me Prayer.
The usual advice from prayer practitioners is to return to the breath, or a sacred word, to effectively start from scratch over and over again. I can attest to the value of this effort.
What I'm recommending as an alternative is not that different, but it does feel more active and purposeful.
Instead of turning away from the internal noise and towards the silence its possible to look at the onslaught of repetitive thoughts and feelings and say, "I've seen that before," and as an act of faith in the God who wants to show you a better way, say, "show me something I don't see that will help me love more truly."
The effect is that the repetitive thoughts, feelings, and images immediately lose their allure. You already know that. It's old news. Feckless and disheartening. What you need is something new. A new perspective, a new feeling about the people and circumstances in your life, a new vision of who you are and how you might live. Eyes to see and ears to hear. That's what Jesus said we needed most.
Once the repetitive stuff loses its hold, it becomes easier to look with hopeful expectation to the Abba of Jesus for what you've never imagined before. And it's surprisingly easy to discern the divine lure from the same old same old. The most obvious being that its new, or at least fresh. Additionally, the voice of God and the imagery of the spirit of God are full of love and truth, remembrance and unveiling. The thoughts, feelings, and images that help one understand the enemy, give one courage and hope, lead one to desire the good and the beautiful, these are what awaits when you practice the Show Me Prayer.
