Deep Prayer

Deep prayer focuses on God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. It is found in a place of stillness and receptivity to the workings of the Holy Spirit. King David said, "I have set the LORD continually before me; because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” (Psalm 16:8) The Psalmist sensed the LORD right beside him.

That sense of His presence is available to us today. To experience a deeper prayer life, we need to eliminate distractions, retreat into our prayer closets, or find a place where we can be alone. As Jesus taught us, “But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” (Matthew 6:6)

It’s an act of humility to invite God's presence as we open our Bibles for guidance. Spending time quietly reflecting on all the good things He has done for us is essential. We should thank Him for the trials He has helped us through. Most importantly, we should thank Him for who He is. Time spent in gratitude is never wasted.

David prayed, “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” (Psalm 16:11) One of God’s attributes is His immanence, which is more than just a theological term to study. It simply means that God is present and actively involved with His creation. Some religions misunderstand this concept and worship the creation rather than the Creator (see Romans chapter 1).

While some may focus on studying the doctrine of God’s immanence, others may desire to experience it firsthand. Why not do both? 

Note: The practice of contemplative prayer is a controversial topic among many evangelicals, despite its rich history within Protestantism. I prefer the term "Deep Prayer" because my goal is a prayer life that is informed by both the Word and the Spirit. I have no desire to empty my mind; rather, I want to fill it with Scripture while experiencing the presence of God.

Quiet Prayer

 

"For what purpose did Christ go up into the mountains? To teach us that loneliness and retirement is good when we are to pray to God...for the wilderness is the mother of quiet; it is a calm and a harbor, delivering us from all turmoils." - John Chrysostom, (c347-407) 

Technically, there is no such thing as wordless prayer. Prayer's very definition is talking to God. Prayers can be loud or silent, but communication is always involved. We may weep in God's presence or groan under immense emotional or physical pressure. God knows the intentions of the heart. The Holy Spirit prays for us  "with groaning too deep for words."

The Father knows what we need before we ask him. He created us for fellowship with himself. There are times when all we can do is groan or utter the word help - God is with us in our pain. 

Silence is a good habit to practice to cultivate the presence of the LORD in our lives. In the life of Jesus, silence seems more about the atmosphere, not the lack of words.

Jesus often slipped away to be alone with his Father. He told us that we would not be heard for "our empty phrases" or "vain repetitions."

Strategic pauses in prayer are important. 

If we talk all the time, how can we ever listen? Unlike non-Christian religions, our prayers are fueled by the knowledge of God and His Word. Our prayer lives as followers of Jesus should be informed by Scripture.

Sound doctrine (biblical teaching) protects us from listening to the wrong voices. Knowing your Bible protects you from allowing culture or various voices (human or demonic) to form your thought life.

Guard your hearts and minds. Pray silently and pray loudly. Pray all kinds of prayers. Let your focus always be on the triune God. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit

Scripture to meditate on:

"Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because[a] the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God." - Romans 8:26-27 ESV

“And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words." - Matthew 6-7 ESV

"But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed." - Luke 5:16 NIV

"In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety."  - Hebrews 5:7 NASB 95

"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people." - Ephesians 6:18 NIV

(1) Gerald L. Sittser, Water From A Deep Well, Page 131

Watch Your Hearts In Prayer: John Owen

 The Cultivation of Watchfulness 

"Be sure to lay in provision in store against the approaching of any temptation. This also belongs to our watchfulness over our hearts…. Gospel provisions will do this work; that is, keep the heart full of a sense of the love of God in Christ. This is the greatest preservative against the power of temptation in the world. —John Owen, Of Temptation: The Nature and Power of It; the Danger of Entering Into It; and the Means of Preventing that Danger."

Hedges, Brian G.. Watchfulness: Recovering a Lost Spiritual Discipline (p. 69). Reformation Heritage Books. Kindle Edition. 

Oswald Chambers: The Art Of Prayer

 

"Mastering the art of prayer, like anything else, takes time. The time we give it will be a true measure of its importance to us.

All Christians need more teaching in the art of prayer, and the Holy Spirit is the master teacher. The Spirit’s help in prayer is mentioned in the Bible more frequently than any other help he gives us. All true praying comes from the Spirit’s activity in our souls.

We are to pray in the realm of the Spirit, for the Holy Spirit is the sphere and atmosphere of the Christian life. Much praying is psychical rather than spiritual, in the realm of the mind alone, the product of our own thinking and not of the Spirit’s teaching. But real prayer is deeper. It uses the body, requires the cooperation of the mind, and moves in the supernatural realm of the Spirit.

God has ordained prayer, and we can be confident that as we meet revealed conditions for prayer, answers will be granted. God sees no contradiction between human free will and divine response to prayer. Our obligation to pray stands above any dilemma concerning the effects of prayer.

The praying Christian wields no personal power and authority, but authority delegated by the victorious Christ to whom that faithful believer is united by faith.

Great leaders of the Bible were great at prayer. They were not leaders because of brilliancy of thought, because they were exhaustless in resources, because of their magnificent culture or native endowment, but because, by the power of prayer, they could command the power of God."

Where Prayer Becomes Real by Kyle Strobel and John Coe

A Prayer For The Fulness of The Holy Spirit: J.D. Walt

" Father, how we thank you for the Holy Spirit, who brings Jesus from being with us to being in us; who brings us inside the inner courts of the fellowship of heaven—right here on earth. Would you lead me into the fullness of the Holy Spirit, bringing me into a discipleship beyond what I have known before? Even if I feel like I already know, wake me up to realize there is more that I don’t know than I do know. Would you bring me into the knowing beyond knowledge that I might be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God—in this life? Praying in Jesus’s name, amen."  www.seedbed.com 

Receiving God's Lament And Releasing Our Outrage: A Prayer By J.D. Walt

 

THE PRAYER OF TRANSFORMATION

Lord Jesus, I want to be your witness, a real Christian. To that end, 

I receive your righteousness and release my sinfulness.
I receive your lament and release my outrage.
I receive your faith and release my fear.
I receive your hope and release my optimism and pessimism.
I receive your love and release my self-interestedness. 

Come, Holy Spirit, transform my heart, mind, soul, and strength so that my consecration becomes your demonstration; that our lives become your sanctuary. For the glory of God our Father, amen. 

www.seedbed.com