e181 When Prayer is Sitting in God’s Presence (the silent footsteps of Jesus beside you)

Here’s the gist, human. If we spend our daily life ruled by the answers we need from God, our prayers can give in to a self-guided perspective. How lonely. We were not created to be alone. God walked with Adam and Eve in the garden. Until. 

A deep prayer life is not complicated. It is contemplative. Prayer is God’s answer before the answer before the answer. His call to come sit with him. Listen to his Word, reflect, respond, and sit in his presence. If the Word became flesh, and Jesus became our Savior then we should bring that Word into our prayer life. Imagine prayer like walking along the road to Emmaus with Jesus and the two men (believers) after he was resurrected, but before he ascended. The moments of silence when all you hear are his footsteps beside you. I want that.

Join us. E181. When Prayer is Sitting in God’s Presence (the silent footsteps of Jesus beside you)

Faith to Witness 99, motivating us to hear God and share the Shepherd. 

The Latin term Lectio Divina is translated as “divine reading.” It is defined as a traditional Benedictine monastic practice of slow, contemplative Bible reading to foster a deep relationship with God. It involves reading a scripture passage multiple times, allowing it to speak personally, followed by meditation, prayer, and silent rest in God’s presence. 

I’m Kathryn Bise, your host.

Sometimes I am spiritually exhausted. I am just without words, depleted of spiritual drive. It’s an uncomfortable place. But I have learned that prayer is God’s standing answer to recharge my soul. The practice of sitting in wait for his wisdom, his love, his redeeming, replenishing presence.

A deep prayer life is not complicated. It is contemplative. Prayer is God’s answer before the answer before the answer. His call to come sit with him. Listen to his Word, reflect, respond, and sit in his presence. If the Word became flesh, and Jesus became our Savior then we should bring that Word into our prayer life. Imagine prayer like walking along the road to Emmaus with Jesus and the two men (believers) after he was resurrected, but before he ascended. The moments of silence when all you hear is his footsteps beside you. I want that.   

Bringing Scripture into Our Prayer Life

So I am asking you to join in a contemplative prayer, using the rhythm of Lectio (lexio) Divina to guide us. I want to model this to help us deepen our prayer life; bring scripture more fully into our prayer life; pour it into the space we share with God when we pray. Jesus is the Word. This is a beautiful, intimate practice to embrace, yes?

We will go through the basic process of lectio (lexio) divina like this:

I will read a selected scripture and listen for what moves me. You listen for what moves you. This is called “lectio.”

Then we reflect. I will share my reflections out loud as an example. Your reflections will be unique to you. Reflections are uncensored, unedited responses in the moment. This is called “meditatio.”

Then we respond. This is called “Oratio.” I will personally respond to God, but feel free to join in on your own. I will finish my response to God with my regular episode closing message. This will end the episode, but not the process. 

We each finish on our own with a silent rest in his presence. 

This is called “Contemplatio.”

So, there are 4 basic steps to this process. Some add a fifth as a call to action. We are not doing that today. And there is much to learn about this process if you want to go deeper online. 

I have chosen Psalm 71. Longer than recommended shorter scripture passages, but appropriate to this podcast format. Psalm 71 has been a recent “praise spring” for me. Living water. I should note that David often talked about his enemies, and rightly so. His world was a violently physical one, and he understood God as his rock, his refuge, his fortress, in a way that is foreign to most of us. To make a strong personal connection to his words, it is helpful to think of our enemy as the evil one, all his evil strategies that coax us into combat with our sin nature. I believe David did this too. He wasn’t only about Goliath scenarios. 

And one more thing, I was also prompted to do this exercise as I think about the final weeks of Jesus on earth and how he would retreat to being alone with his Heavenly Father. While we hang on every word he spoke to us, I often picture him sitting in complete surrender to his Father’s will. Laying down his heavenly advantage to save me. To save you. In that garden, just hours before his arrest.

Let’s begin this Lectio Divina.

A Prayer Rhythm Anchored in His Word

A prayer rhythm anchored in His Word.

The Lectio

Psalm 71

1 In you, Lord, I have taken refuge;

    let me never be put to shame.

2 In your righteousness, rescue me and deliver me;

    turn your ear to me and save me.

3 Be my rock of refuge,

    to which I can always go;

give the command to save me,

    for you are my rock and my fortress.

4 Deliver me, my God, from the hand of the wicked,

    from the grasp of those who are evil and cruel.

5 For you have been my hope, Sovereign Lord,

    my confidence since my youth.

6 From birth I have relied on you;

    you brought me forth from my mother’s womb.

    I will ever praise you.

7 I have become a sign to many;

    you are my strong refuge.

8 My mouth is filled with your praise,

    declaring your splendor all day long.

9 Do not cast me away when I am old;

    do not forsake me when my strength is gone.

10 For my enemies speak against me;

    those who wait to kill me conspire together.

11 They say, “God has forsaken him;

    pursue him and seize him,

    for no one will rescue him.”

12 Do not be far from me, my God;

    come quickly, God, to help me.

13 May my accusers perish in shame;

    may those who want to harm me

    be covered with scorn and disgrace.

14 As for me, I will always have hope;

    I will praise you more and more.

15 My mouth will tell of your righteous deeds,

    of your saving acts all day long—

    though I know not how to relate them all.

16 I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, Sovereign Lord;

    I will proclaim your righteous deeds, yours alone.

17 Since my youth, God, you have taught me,

    and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds.

18 Even when I am old and gray,

    do not forsake me, my God,

till I declare your power to the next generation,

    your mighty acts to all who are to come.

19 Your righteousness, God, reaches to the heavens,

    you who have done great things.

    Who is like you, God?

20 Though you have made me see troubles,

    many and bitter,

    you will restore my life again;

from the depths of the earth

    you will again bring me up.

21 You will increase my honor

    and comfort me once more.

22 I will praise you with the harp

    for your faithfulness, my God;

I will sing praise to you with the lyre,

    Holy One of Israel.

23 My lips will shout for joy

    when I sing praise to you—

    I whom you have delivered.

24 My tongue will tell of your righteous acts

    all day long,

for those who wanted to harm me

    have been put to shame and confusion.

The Meditatio (reflect, unedited)

I must need defending, even on days I think I don’t. God is so prepared. I have always had such a strong sense of his presence in my life. Glorifying his splendor all day long. How much spiritual stamina do I need? The idea of God abandoning me in my older age. There’s truth to that. That my physical decline outweighs my spiritual will to serve. Yet he worked massive miracles through very, very old people. Way older than me. Feeling the depth of his righteousness and how powerful it is in restoring me. What a great question: Who is like you, God? I don’t know anyone who does what he does. Oh, I think I just recognized the potential of my honor through him, and how his nature is the only way to deepen it. Honor was lost in the garden, regained on the cross. My harp is my words. This psalm is gathering little joy fibers,  together in my heart, I feel them coming together in a big fat muscle of rejoicing. I think God is my energy drink that trains me for the “all day long” spirit-stamina I need to live through his mighty, beastly, and so insanely beautiful faith. Not sure about beastly but with that kind of vigor. I want to live deep in the center of his nature. Seems an earthly hell is to be submerged deep within shame and confusion in a misguided life. Oh, but I feel the joy. And my need for it.

A Prayer That Responds to God’s Word

The Oratio (respond to God)

Heavenly Father, I have lived a long time. Thank you for my years and for creating me before, before, before. I am so grateful for my origin within your creation. And thankful for how you tended my spiritual fire as a child, how you showed me the way of your Son, and protected me along all the pot-holed ways that led me away from you. Fill me with your Spirit, your desire to declare your power to the next generation, to all the lost sheep, to those who do not know they are lost, to those who have given their days after days after days to gods that are utterly defeated in your presence. Again I climb into your fortress, I sit at the window of the stronghold you have created for me, separated from the world’s evil by your sword. By your rod, and your staff. I submit my will to your story, Lord. Supercharge your purpose tenfold in my aging days. I submit my needs to all the ways you come before me with earthly and eternal provision. Oh Lord, I feel your joy. There is no one like you. You are sovereign. Let my praise return to your glory, all day long.

I seek your faithfulness to strengthen my witness. Help me go finding Lord. Instill in me your spirit to go find the one. 

Now I rest, silent, in your presence. 

(Episode ends)

Listeners complete final process after the episode concludes.

Contemplatio (silent rest in God’s presence… for however long)