Category: Spirituality

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).

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.

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.

“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.

“When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways” (1 Cor. 13:11).

Many Christians are very childish in the way they think and reason. They think that God is some big answer guy in the sky, who’s going to solve all their problems for them. God’s not that mean.

Part of growing up is thinking for yourself. Part of it is making reasonable choices. Another part is taking responsibility for your choices. If God did everything for you, you would never learn anything. So God doesn’t do that.

Divine Principles

God gives you principles of how to act, speak and behave yourself. He expects you to do your own thinking, to come to your own conclusions. But he also expects you to accept the consequences of your choices.

Growing Up Spiritually

Growing up is hard to do. And growing up spiritually can be even harder. We want everything to be easy for us. God will not do that. God will take us into the valley of doubt and confusion, so that we can grow.

Just like muscles require resistance, so does the will. For a strong will, we need to have a strong force to push against. That strong force is the world, the flesh, and the devil.

The Bible

We need to approach the Bible differently than we do. We need to see how the people in the Bible related to God. Learn about their relationship. And apply the principles of that relationship to our own relationship with God. That’s why the Bible was given. Not as an answer book, but as a guide to building a relationship with God.