Spiritual people often conflate biblical forms of prayer with Eastern meditation. For this reason, some Christians are suspicious of the term “contemplative prayer,” fearing that immature believers will be led away from Jesus into mysticism.
While we should be concerned about false teaching, contemplative prayer can be a form of Christ-centered worship. When investigating what a person means by this term, here are some useful questions to ask.
Question 1: To Whom?
If someone engages in contemplative prayer, whom do they believe they are communicating with? An answer such as “the universe” or “no one, just thinking” should raise red flags.
Some opponents of contemplative prayer highlight the way in which “repetition, the focus on breathing, and the contemplation of images or icons seek to empty the person’s mind and then usher the individual into an altered state of consciousness — like New Age meditation.”
Prayer is not the same thing as “just thinking” or emptying the mind. Biblical prayer is a two-way conversation with our Lord or an opportunity to simply be with him.
One who is quiet and still before the Lord is not emptied; he or she expects to encounter God and be filled with his presence through the Holy Spirit.
We address a God who has made himself known to us: Jesus assured his disciples “all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you” (John 15:15). God revealed and continues to reveal himself through the Bible, through Christ, and by his Spirit.
Weaker Christians are vulnerable to deception. “We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves” (Romans 15:1).
If prayer is not leading to God, a person might be lured into communion with evil or, at the very least, something empty. Biblical contemplative prayer is spiritually filling.
Question 2: How?
Jesus often looked for a quiet place to spend time with his Father. “He would withdraw to desolate places and pray” (Luke 5:16).
The compound verb “would withdraw” indicates an ongoing action, not a single instance. “There is nothing unbiblical or anti-Christian about solitude, silence, and contemplative prayer [...] as they have been practiced within the context of Christian history.”
Jesus also taught us a method of prayer. We declare God’s name (Our Father), ask for what we need (daily bread), ask forgiveness for our sins, and pledge to forgive others.
The Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6) continues, instructing us to seek the Lord’s help to avoid temptation and to be delivered from evil according to his eternal power.
While no single method of prayer is preferable to others, and we might hone-in on a particular facet of the Lords’ prayer at any time, the most respectful, humble, and powerful method starts and ends with praise and worship of God.
This pattern is also protective, guarding our minds even as we are in the midst of prayer. We stand behind God as our fortress and shield.
When we pray in stillness, in quiet, without clamorous desires in our minds, we have the opportunity to experience the Lord's presence more fully, even miraculously. “Many of the early church fathers of the first three centuries of the Christian era [...] were contemplatives who had mystical experiences in prayer.”
Question 3: Why?
The primary purpose of prayer is communion with God, not miraculous revelation, although many Christians across the centuries have reported marvelous experiences resulting from deep, focused prayer.
The ideal result is that one learns more about the Lord, offers thanks for daily mercies, finds peace, and experiences a transformed heart. We typically approach the throne of grace with an agenda.
Contemplative prayer encourages one to put aside petitions and supplications and to ask for more of God and what he desires to reveal by his Holy Spirit. When David said, “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10), he emphasized the importance of knowing our Lord.
Although individuals often invoke Psalm 37:4, they might not wait for God to give them the desires of their heart (that is, allow his desires to supplant their own). If they keep on talking to him, thinking about the desires they brought with them to start with, nothing changes.
We are invited to ask God for help, but we miss the power of God when he is held at arm’s length by an internal monologue.
The result of prayer should be to “experience a heart change from the one true God.” Prayer in stillness and solitude is a valuable discipline since Christians cannot become more like Jesus without a regular change of heart.
Biblical Examples of Contemplative Prayer
Any time someone fasted and went away from people to speak with and hear from God, this was a time of contemplative prayer.
Now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, far off from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting. And everyone who sought the Lord would go out to the tent of meeting, which was outside the camp (Exodus 33:7).
Elijah went to a cave to pray (1 Kings 19:9). John’s Revelation was given to him during a period of exile. Many of the saints have reported and continue to testify about visions God has given them during peaceful prayer in quiet and solitude.
We can say with certainty that contemplative prayer has biblical roots and is still biblical if we follow the positive examples depicted for us.
Contemplate the Red Flags
What does contemplation mean? As a synonym for “thoughtful,” one would expect to do a lot of thinking over a period of time. When Eastern mystics engage in a similar type of meditation, they often chant a mantra or a single word or sound.
“This form of prayer mimics a meditative, centering practice” and it can be a dangerous tool for emptying the mind if one is not familiar enough with God to “test the spirits” (1 John 4:1).
If someone is encouraging a person to concentrate on an image or an idol, even one associated with Christianity, caution is advised. Pantheists believe that God is in everything, and this practice might lead to worshiping created things rather than the Creator.
The biggest danger is probably the belief that one can awaken or discover personal divinity “through contemplative prayer, making the cross of Jesus unnecessary for union with God. This is, in effect, praying to yourself as if you are God and is not in line with Christian theology.”
One must beware of letting go of anxiety and confusion without also filling the mind and heart with more of Jesus. In Matthew 12, Jesus told a parable about a woman who swept her house clean of an evil spirit.
Finding no rest elsewhere, the spirit came back to the woman’s house, which was “empty, swept, and put in order,” so it brought back seven more spirits. They entered her house, lived there, “and the last state of that person is worse than the first” (vv.43-45).
Cautious Approach to Contemplatives
A contemplative friend might or might not be trying to reach God through prayer. We need to approach the topic without any assumptions, realizing that there is a historical, biblical basis for the practice of finding a quiet place to pray at length.
Mature Christians, however, have a responsibility to ensure their less mature disciples do not make themselves vulnerable to deception or attack.
Those who are disciplined in their prayer lives can prepare to support newer Christians or those who find prayer intimidating, but ensuring their own practice is in line with the model established by Jesus.
For further reading:
What Do Pantheists Really Believe about God?
Is Meditating on Scripture a Biblical Principle?
What Are the Benefits of Prayer?
What Is the Difference Between Religion and Spirituality?
Are Buddhist Meditation Methods Okay for Christians?
What Does ‘Be Still and Know That I am God’ Mean in Psalms 46:10?
Is Repetitive Prayer Okay for Christians?
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/KristinaJovanovic
This article is part of our prayer resources meant to inspire and encourage your prayer life when you face uncertain times. Remember, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us, and God knows your heart even if you can't find the words to pray.
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