Author: Jay Forrest

Dr. Jay N. Forrest is an Ordained Interfaith Minister and Certified Meditation Teacher who guides others on the Mystic Way through contemplative teaching and interspiritual insight.Since becoming a Christian in 1983 and earning his Doctorate in Ministry, Jay has served within a rich range of Christian traditions—including Pentecostal, Charismatic, Baptist, Methodist, and Liberal Catholic churches—and provided compassionate care as a Hospice Chaplain.His journey has also led him through catechism studies with the Orthodox Church in America, minor orders in the Liberal Catholic Church, and over two decades of Buddhist study and practice. His path is one of depth, integration, and a lifelong dedication to the transformative power of spiritual practice.

Hesychasm and Contemplation

In the Eastern Orthodox Church there’s her tradition called hesychasm. This can be roughly translated as stillness. It is usually related to the practice of the Jesus prayer.

Contemplation is used in the Western tradition of Roman Catholicism and Anglican tradition. Contemplation can be roughly translated as inward gazing or beholding of the Divine.

The Same Experience

Hesychasm and contemplation are two aspects of the same experience. Is the wordless awareness of the Divine presence. It is both a beholding and a stillness. It is mindful awareness of Reality as it is.

A Way of Practice

One way of practice is to use the Jesus prayer to quiet the mind and focus it within. Say in your mind, “Lord Jesus Christ,” as you breathe in. And say in your mind, “Have mercy on me,” as you breathe out.

When the mind is still, drop into the stillness and silence of the moment, just being attentive to the presence of God. This is true contemplation. “Be still, and know” (Ps. 46:10).

Before Meal Prayers

My Prayer

Dear heavenly Father, thank you for this food. Bless it and nourish it to our bodies. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Catholic
Bless us, O Lord, and these, Thy gifts, which we are about to receive from Thy bounty. Through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Eastern Orthodox
O Christ God, bless the food and drink of Thy servants, for holy art Thou, always, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Anglican
Bless, O Father, Thy gifts to our use and us to Thy service; for Christ’s sake. Amen.

Lutheran
Come, Lord Jesus, be our Guest, and let these gifts to us be blessed. Amen.

The Law of Prayer is the Law of Belief

Lex Orando, Lex Credendi can be translated as “The law of Prayer is the law of belief.”

As I heard one person explain it, “How we pray is what we believe. Episcopal and Anglican belief is grounded in the way that we pray and worship together.

Two Kinds of Faith

There are two kinds of faith. First is trust in a person. The second is belief in a truth claim. A belief, then, is a claim that is accepted as truth, which then becomes a rule of action. As James tells us, “faith without works is also dead” (Jam. 2:26).

But there are many credences or things we agree with, but which don’t impact our actions. There are not really beliefs, though we usually call them that. But it would be more accurate to call it memtal assent.

Prayer Changes Us

Because prayer is deeper, or should be deeper, than mere agreement, it changes us. It get behind the filters, and walls, and even prejudices. Prayer changes us.

And it is grom this inner relationship with God that our true convictions should arose. Meeting God is transformative. “The law of Prayer is the law of belief.”

Right Thinking

A further thought comes to mind. Related to this is another truth. As Peter A. Giersch put it, “We do not think ourselves into right action as much as we act ourselves into right thinking.”

Prayer is an action, a practice that we do. And what we do has an effect on our thinking. And belief is accepting a claim as true. It is the cooperation of thought and will. Thought is the claim, will is the accepting of that claim as true.

Who Wrote the Bible?

The first thing to realize, is that God did not write the Bible. It contains words attributed to God, but it is not words directly from God.

They Said God Said

It’s important to understand the distinction. Is the difference between what I say my mother said, and what my mother actually said. I hear things through a filter.

It is the same with the authors of the Bible. God may have truly spoke to them, but it is filtered through their personality and cultural context. It is just like light through stained glass, the stained glass changes the hue and color of the light.

If we don’t keep this in mind, we can interpret the Bible literally. Which is going to cause all kinds of problems. The Bible constantly counterdicts itself. How can that be if it was written by God.

God Did Not Write It

The truth is that God did not write the Bible. Men wrote the Bible. They wrote it from their perspective, their limited understanding, and they’re biased and prejudiced viewpoints. And these come through in the text.

So he must read the Bible as the words of men about the message of God. The message of God is sometimes blurred, sometimes distorted, and sometimes insightful.

The Bible is Not Univocal

We should take the Bible seriously, but not literally. We have to interpret each author within their own cultural and historical context. The Bible is not univocal. It doesn’t have one author, it has many. Therefore one author should not interpret another.

This is important. Too often a uniformity is forced upon the text. And this uniformity distorts the text, causing it to be misunderstood. Only the author can interpret the author. Only Paul can interpret Paul. So it’s important to know which letters are from Paul, and which ones are not.

I say that because we know that 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy and Titus were not written by the apostle Paul. We can call the author pseudo-Paul. Whoever it was, he wrote after Paul was already long dead. His language and style of writing is different. Therefore, these letters should not be used to interpret the other Epistles of Paul.

Rethinking Our Interpretation

This is only the beginning of rethinking our interpretation and understanding the Bible. It’s important to realize that the Bible is not a book, but a library of books written by different men, in different situations, at different times, with different historical and cultural contexts, and woth different agendas.

The Bible was not written by God. It is written by men. Therefore they should be used and interpreted carefully. We should honor the differences and not negate them with a uniformity they never had.

Praying in the Spirit

“Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints” (Eph. 6:18).

Pentecostals misunderstand this phrase, pray in the spirit. They think it is referring to speaking in tongues. It is not.

Pray in Union with the Spirit

To pray in the Spirit is to pray in union with the Spirit. That is, to pray according to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit guides the prayer through an inward urging.

And yes, this does include speaking in tongues. But it just not exclusive to that. As it is clear in the context of the passage. It includes every prayer and supplication.

Practical Guidance

And praying in the Spirit does not mean that the words are necessarily given to you. Sometimes it’s more like a prayer list. Somebody will come to mind, or some situation, and that is what the Spirit wants you to pray about.

So next time someone pops into your mind, maybe you should try praying for that person. Or if a situation comes into your mind, pray for that situation. In both cases, this is praying in the Spirit.