In the spiritual life there is such a need to learn to be silent before God, meditating — or thinking deeply — on the presence of God. In other words, learning to clear our minds of everything except God who is actually present, more present to us than we imagine — this is such a defining part of our lives. The struggle we all have with this is that our mind, our thoughts, wander. Instead of being able to sit quietly in God’s presence, our thoughts often preoccupy us and distract us. Many people tell me they give up on this practice because it’s so hard to concentrate.
Allow me to encourage you to continue in this practice, because when I find my mind wandering, I often think instead of the name, J-E-S-U-S, and I say quietly in my mind, Jesus I love You, and I repeat the name J-E-S-U-S. This centering word you can use, or you can come up with another that you like. I L-O-V-E Y-O-U is beautiful. In other words, find a simple word or a very short phrase that brings you back into the presence of God.
Other times I will simply say to God, in my thoughts, Lord, I am so sorry for my sins…please forgive me and bring me to Your heart! I hold myself in prayer before God whom I know for certain is actually present. But honestly, sometimes I fall asleep when meditating, or I doze off! When this happens, I am kind to myself and just smile, knowing Gd is still with me.
Be good to yourself and calm down when you get distracted. God will eventually lead you to Himself. BUT DON’T GIVE UP! GOD IS WITH YOU!
I learned to meditate, to center on God in silent prayer, from a Cistercian Monk named Basil Pennington. He gave a workshop on meditation, or Centering Prayer, that I attended as a young man. Basil was a giant of man, who seemed to me to stand 6 feet 8 inches tall, and he told us a story about his meditating that I never forgot. He told us that he lived for years in New York City, and the best place for him to be quiet before God was when he was riding in the New York Subways! Imagine! Think about that!
So keep praying and keep being mindful of God who is actually present to you in a deeper way than any of us can ever imagine!
BUT DON’T GIVE UP! GOD IS WITH YOU!
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me a sinner.
From the Bible:
“But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you” Matthew 6:6.
“As she continued praying before the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. Hannah was speaking in her heart; only her lips moved, and her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli took her to be a drunken woman” 1 Samuel 1:12-13.
“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God” Romans 8:26-27.
“O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether” Psalm 139:1-4.
“And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed” Mark 1:35.
“Jesus said: ‘But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you’” Mark 6:33.
“Be still, and know that I am God” Psalm 46:10.
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