Rest and Sabbath are two things that I have not always done well with in my walk with Christ, but in the past several years, God has helped me to see these as a pattern and a priority he’s established for my benefit. I appreciate Mark’s thoughts on this topic and bringing it up.
The whole idea of centering prayer that he mentions is actually an old Quaker practice. Just like Mark says at the very beginning of the chapter, that “prayer is the way in which I hear Jesus calling from the center of my life”, Quakers would gather in times of silence to slow down and let all the distractions and noise of life stop. And in that silence, they were able to more fully hear God speak. This is part of the reason why we have times of silence occasionally on Sunday mornings in Flipd or on retreats, like we did at the Marvelous Mystery Tour this past weekend.
From what Mark shared in this chapter, how would you explain contemplation in your own words?
Share about one of the prayer experiences that you did and what your response to it was.
I think contemplation is a time of remebering and thanking God for simple everyday things. Comtemplation is thinking about and praying about all your worries, stresses, and also praising God for everything good.
I never really sit in silence and close my eyes and think about my desire to be with God. When I opened my eyes, I sort of forgot where I was and what was happening. It was so cool to have that ” God time” where it was just me and my prayers.
The prayer experience that I did was called Centering Prayer. I really liked this one. I thought it was super awesome.
Sounds great, Leah. I always think it’s cool when I lose track of time & space while praying. God’s easy to get lost in because he’s so big, but I rarely take the time to do it!
I liked how u said that completation is remembering all the things has done for us. I think we sometimes forget all
the things God has done for us.
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yes i am
nice answer.
And she also has the biggest blog!
Contemplation is just like you being surronded by something greater than youcould ever imagine this is God. He speaks and glows.
One thing I learned from this chapter and today is our love for others and God must not be polluted by our world. Love destoys all barriers.
I did the withdrawing thingy and God showed me I am to live each day for him know matter what he thows my way becaause only he knows what lays ahead
Jessica,
“He speaks and glows.”
“Love destroys all barriers.”
These are both really great ways to phrase things! Thanks for your thoughts.
Jess, I like your phrase, “Love destroys all barriers,” too becuase it is so true. If you love and trust in God, you can work through anything.
I liked when you said that “God must not be polluted by our world.” That was awesome
It’s so true. Everyday things get in the way of God sometimes.
I would say contemplation is taking time from ur daily routine and praying in silence by walking, laying , or journaling it while you sit. Just feeling gods love as you pray. my contemplation exercise was resting in god as i started to feel sleeepy i felt god watching over me protecting me right there.
I think Mark mentioned this in the chapter, but a good practice can be to do the resting in God each night as you’re going to bed. Be reminded that God created our bodies in patterns of rest and wakefulness and thank him for the rest that he’s allowing you to have. This can be super refreshing!
Contamplation to me means thanking/praising God for everyday things like homework.
Cool…that’s a good start, Jacob. How about your prayer exercise for the week? What was something that stuck out in the chapter for you?
I think that contemplation is being totally surrounded in God’s love. Sometimes I think about and observe what God has made. I think that thinking very deep, and really noticing what God has done for me is all part of contemplation.
I did resting in God. I had to get a tetnis shot on thursday, and I was freaked out. I had a bad experience with needles as a little girl, so getting a shot was a big deal for me. I had to trust that God would protect me, and wouldn’t let me pass out. I rested in him and knew that he would help me.
Emily, i liked how you said that contemplation is noticingwhat God has done for us.
“Contemplation is being totally surrounded in God’s love.”
That’s a great way to think about it, Emily. How’d your shot go? Resting in God is a great thing to do before you are going into difficult situations. It’s a great reminder of his loving presence.
It didn’t hurt as bad as I thought it would. I didn’t pass out or die, so I’m happy about that too:) Thanks for asking.
thats really great how GOd helped you conquer your fear
nice job emily
Emily, it was great how you put all your trust in God and he made sure you were safe. Everything turned out for the best, and I’m glad you were o.k. and safe while getting your shot!!!
I think contemplation is just being with God, even if it is in silence, but just spending that quailty time to be with God and to listen to what he has to tell you. Contemplation, I believe, is a time to listen to what God has to offer to us.
I really liked all of these prayer excersices but my favorite one was Centering Prayer. I really liked how close I was to God. I could feel him with me and I didn’t want to excersice to end. I reall liked it.
Me too! I loved Centering Prayer
“Contemplation, I believe, is a time to listen to what God has to offer to us.”
I really appreciated the way you worded this, Abbi. Great thoughts! And centering prayer is actually one of my favorite prayer exercises, too!
when i pray i don’t always feel relaxed. i feel like some one is going to laugh at what i pray for. and i feel God won’t answer because he thinks it is stupid.
contemplation is where you can pray to God and he will listen. no matter how stupid your request is, he will listen. and after reading this chapter, i will feel like peaceful and restful as i pray now.
Prayer can be so intimidating, Abbey. But you’re right…God doesn’t laugh at our prayer requests, he listens lovingly. I wonder if this is one reason why Jesus encouraged us to pray in private. That way we’re not always worrying about what others are thinking but we’re able to just be honest with God who we know loves us no matter what.
Abbey, I kind of feel like that too. I feel like I have to make it perfect for God, but really, all God wants is for us to express our feelings to him, whether it sounds stupid or not.
abby always remember God loves know matter how stupid you may sound because we are all perfect in his eyes
Abbey, I feel the same way like 99% of the time. I always feel shy and not open enough to God, especially with a lot of other people around. I feel like something I say may come across the wrong way to others and I feel as if what I say is stupid. But God doesn’t care about what we pray for, because He knows that we care about it and he does too.
I think that contemplation is taking time out of your day to spend time with God and let it be a special time. Whether it’s praying, journaling, or just talking with Him in silence. I did Resting In God. I just went up to my room and took a nap. I sat there and breathed and mouthed the prayer. I felt like God was there watching over me and smiling upon me.
Sounds like it was a good prayer experience, Koty. I love hearing about everyone’s experiences. It’s cool to see how God speaks to each of us and is there for each of us when we approach him in prayer.
I like how you said that it is a special time with God. We need to take the time to pray and be with God sometime throughout our day, and really open up to him.
Contemplation is a time to spend with and think about God. I know I’m not the best at spending time with God. I try to find time to spend with God.
Contemplation is like meditating or pondering about God, and thinking about Him. Contemplation is the time spent with Him. We open ourselves up to Him, and he will listen to everything we have to say. Contemplation is like the study of God and of how amazing He really is to all of us.
The one exercise I did was the “Centering Prayer.” To me this was an awesome experience! I just laid in my brother’s room on his bed and just closed my eyes. I felt totally centered and surrounded by God’s love. The one word I thought about every once in a while throughout the prayer was “Love.” This made me feel good and that God loves me for who I am, and that I am safe in his presence.
Contemplation is giving time to just be with God, making ourselves spacious to God and letting ourselves to become closer to God and letting God breathe and speak through us.
One of the Prayer Experiences I did this week was ,”Resting In God”. When I stayed silent I began to just feel God’s presence around me and after repeating “Abba, I belong to you” I felt God breathe through me and almost speak to me and letting me know that everything was going to be okay and not only in Boston but whenever I was in trouble. It was a very comforting way to end the day.
In my words, contemplation is resting and restoring yourself in God’s love. One of the prayer experiences I did was withdrawing. While I was praying and resting, it was cool how when you were more relaxed you could pray better and express your thoughts easier. The thing that really stuck out to me was that prayer means rest. I always thought it meant communicating and talking to God.