Contemplative Prayer

On Sunday, June 21st we practiced Contemplative Prayer after hearing Jesus’ words on Anxiety and Comfort. The practice is shared here so you can incorporate this practice in your daily and weekly rhythms.

We are going to practice contemplative prayer by focusing on the landscape below, imagining you are there right now. 

To begin, we meditate “me and God”: as you take in this image you might be thinking about what is making you feel anxious right now.  But try and really focus on the image of nature and allow the creation to reveal the character of the creator. Allow that to make you become more aware of Gods presence and his goodness. 

As you move to contemplation “God and Me” focusing on the image, you will see the flowers, birds, mountains, ocean, etc. In it we see God’s beauty, glory, power, wisdom, creativity, loving care and presence in how he cares for it all. Think about how knowing those characteristics of God brings comfort to you in the midst of your anxiousness.

Finally communion “only God” allow the characteristics of who God is to bring you comfort and calm as you no longer think about what you are anxious for but bask in the presence of God and how he cares for you more than the birds in the sky. In Matthew 6:26 look at the birds of the air, they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Praying in this way will take practice but this landscape and all of nature was created to comfort and calm the depths of our souls and build within us a worship of the creator.