Open In Prayer
Begin by praying together – taking some intentional time to invite the Holy Spirit into your gathering. Lead your Community into the evening with a non-anxious and joyful spirit.
Below is an optional liturgy you could pray:
Lord, you are holy. You are near. You desire to be with us, and for that we say, thank you. We invite you, Holy Spirit, to come. Form us into people of love. Amen.
Around The Table & Reflect On Last Gathering’s Practice
This is space during your gathering to share a meal, build relationships, and enjoy one another.
As you’re around the table, invite your Community to reflect on the practice. If your Community is larger, you may find it helpful to reflect in smaller groups for the sake of time.
Where did you feel resistance in prayer? Internally or externally?
Where did you most experience delight, or God’s nearness during the practice?
As you sat with God, did the Spirit convict or comfort you in any area of your life?
Learning: Practicing The Way’s Prayer Course
The final session focuses on being with God. We never mature beyond any of the four stages of prayer we are exploring in this Practice, but the further we progress in prayer, the more we desire to speak to God, to listen to God, and to just be with God.
As a general rule, you can gauge the intimacy in a relationship by how comfortable you are being alone together in the silence. Early on, relationships are full of words and activity. As you grow closer over time, there are still words and activity, but you also come to deeply enjoy just being with each other.
This type of wordless prayer has come to be called “contemplation,” based on 2 Corinthians 3:18. Its most basic meaning is to contemplate: to look, to gaze upon the beauty of God, receiving his love pouring out toward you in Christ and by the Spirit, and then giving your love back in return.
In our final session’s exercises, we explore this way of being with God in love.
Let’s begin session four: Being with God.
Practice: Contemplative Prayer
We are going to continue to practice a daily prayer rhythm. There is no formation without repetition.
The seventh century monk St. John Climacus gave this advice on contemplation: “Let the memory of Jesus combine with your breath.” Contemplatives have long used the God-ordained process of breathing to attune to the breath/spirit of God within the “temple” of our body.
God has designed deep, slow breathing to calm your body’s nervous system and center your mind. That makes breathing an especially helpful pathway to contemplative prayer. Contemplative prayer is difficult because our mind is so distraction-prone, but the basic steps are simple:
Find a quiet, distraction-free place to pray. Get seated comfortably, but where you can breathe properly and not slouch. We recommend either a dining chair with your feet on the floor and your back straight and shoulders upright, or sitting cross-legged directly on the floor, with a pillow or cushion under your backside to help with blood circulation. Not on a couch.
Breathe slowly (five seconds on the inhale, then five on the exhale) from your belly. Relax. Become present to your body. And to the moment.
Then, open your mind to God. You may just want to remain here, in loving attention to the Trinity.
Remember: You’re not trying to pray words here. It’s your heart to God’s heart; this prayer is will to will, love to love. Or you may want to combine a prayer word to your breath. A prayer word is simply a word or phrase that you use to keep your attention fixed on God.
Many use “Father” or “Abba” or “Jesus”
Others use a phrase from Scripture like “The Lord is my shepherd”
(on the inhale), “I lack nothing” (on the exhale).
The Eastern church uses the Jesus Prayer: “Lord Jesus Christ” (on
the inhale), “have mercy on me” (on the exhale).
You can also use your own phrase, like, “In you I live” (on the
inhale), and “In you I delight” (on the exhale).
There’s no “right” prayer word. It’s just a tool to keep your wandering mind focused on God’s presence within you.
When distractions come, just gently set them aside the moment you realize your mind has wandered and come back to your breathing and prayer word. And they will come, way more than you think or want! That’s okay. It doesn’t mean you’re bad at contemplative prayer; it means you’re human.
Remain in God, receiving his love and giving yours back in turn. In the beginning, 1-2 minutes of this is a huge success, and 5-10 minutes is a home run.
[If you are looking for ways to go deeper, the Practicing The Way: Prayer Companion Guide offers optional “reach practices”. Overachievers in the room: there is not an expectation to complete the reach practices, these are simply available for those who have the interest and capacity.]
End in Prayer
Before you conclude, spend some time as a Community praying for one another.
Below is an optional liturgy you could pray:
Lord Jesus, there is no greater prayer than yours — make us one as you are one, in devotion, in living, in love. Amen.