A Prayer for a Noisy World
by Guest
by Matt Hodgson
Quiet the distractions to spend quality time with God
The world can be a noisy place. There’s always something going on, making the next sound, grabbing our attention. Street noise. Or the kids are talking, or the TV is on. How about those fancy rectangles in our pockets that help us make phone calls, surf the web, check social media, and play games? Noise happens all the time. Do you sleep at night with the TV on or music playing? We’ve gotten so used to the noise that we can’t even reach a restful state without it.
We can bring this same chaotic environment into our prayer lives. How many times have you started to pray, but your mind wanders? “Do we have any milk?” “I can’t forget to call Jim about that project.” “What time is it? I’ve got to get going.” “My back hurts.” Inner noise can distract us to the point that when we launch into prayer, we talk at God.
Have you ever been in this place? All the while, God desperately wants to spend some time together with you. Our minds are constantly on the go, and we need to find ways to truly “Be still and know” (Psalm 46:10)—to quiet our inner world enough to hear a “still small voice” (1 Kings 19:12).
There is a way to practice God’s presence in prayer. In Centering Prayer, a Christian method of meditation, the emphasis is on interior silence. The practice traces to the work of three Trappist monks in Massachusetts in the 1970s, most notably Thomas Keating. The name comes from Thomas Merton’s description of contemplative prayer that is “centered entirely on the presence of God.”
Merton writes in his book Contemplative Prayer: “Monastic prayer begins not so much with ‘considerations’ as with a ‘return to the heart,’ finding one’s deepest center, awakening the profound depths of our being.”
“Pray all the time. Ask God for anything in line with the Holy Spirit’s wishes. Plead with him, reminding him of your needs, and keep praying earnestly for all Christians everywhere.”
—Ephesians 6:18 (TLB)
Intention
In Centering Prayer, we look to get out of the way, reduce the inner noise, and be intentional with God. Keating writes, “Centering Prayer is not a concentrative practice, nor an exercise of attention. It is an exercise of intention. It is our will, our faculty of choice, that we are cultivating. … The will is developing the habit of surrender to God’s increasing presence and action.”
The intention of the practice is always the same: to “consent to the presence and action of God within.”
How To
So how do you get your inner noise out of the way and consent to God’s presence? During your prayer time, gently let thoughts and sensations go as they arise so you can return to your intention of being with God. Do this by using a word that reminds you that you are practicing being with God.
This word can be anything. Some people like traditional religious words—“God” or “Abba” or “Jesus” or a short phrase like “Come Lord.” Others like words of their availability—“open” or “available” or “yes.” There’s nothing special about the word in itself; it is just a placeholder for your intention. Whenever you recognize that you’re having a disrupting thought, you say your word and return to being with God.
Find a quiet spot in your home, at work, or in the park. Set a timer of 10 to 20 minutes, or download the Centering Prayer app (free from the App Store or Google Play). Sit up with your feet on the ground, and take some big calming breaths. When an inevitable thought, feeling, or sensation comes up, say your word to remind you that this time has been set aside for you and God.
It sounds relatively easy—and it is. But there will be times when 20 minutes feels like five, and others when it feels like an eternity.
Father Keating tells a story about this struggle. He was teaching Centering Prayer to a group of nuns and asked them to take 20 minutes and practice, then return to the class for discussion. One nun returned upset and described how difficult it was for her to quiet the noise. “Father, I’m such a failure,” she said. “In the 20 minutes, I must have said my word 1,000 times.” Keating replied, “Isn’t that beautiful … 1,000 opportunities to return to God.”
Start reducing the inner noise today with this great meditative practice.
Praying Together
We know praying for one another is important. We also know praying with each other is important. We plan and prepare prayer rooms in Salvation Army corps buildings, churches, prayer groups, and Adult Rehabilitation Centers, but getting together can seem next to impossible due to scheduling conflicts and responsibilities. When this happens, it is important to think outside the walls of your worship center and remember that there are no walls of separation in the Body of Christ. Unity in prayer can happen despite distances great or small.
The Spiritual Life Development Department has developed a packet called the “Mobile Prayer Room.” This envelope contains cards that you can customize to the specific prayer needs of your fellowship. You may want to make a set of cards focusing prayer on the different ministries in your fellowship of faith or the needs of your community.
Download the cover sticker for your envelope, customize and print your card for your specific prayer needs, and assemble Mobile Prayer Room packets for anyone in your fellowship.
Plan your corps’ time of concentrated prayer, distribute the envelopes, and let members of your congregation become prayer warriors in one accord. Plan your united season of prayer today.
About the Author: Guest
