Shhhhhh...

We all feel an amazing amount of stress in our lives. That is because of the pace at which we live. I'm not advocating laziness, but I am saying that the pace of our lives needs to be slowed way down, in order to decipher the crap from the treasure. We think that it is enough to call ourselves God's, and live like we always have. I'm not talking about what we do, but when we do. That's the trouble... we always do. And when we don't, we find other things to do! We will only hear from God, and feel His presence change us, as we spend time in quiet reflection with Him. It is so easy to go, go, go. It is so hard to sit in silence while we wait on God. But, it is the only way to really know we are on the right track to becoming who He created us to be. We need to stop planning, doing, or distracting ourselves just long enough to hear what God has for us. Then we can be confident that when we do, we do as God has willed. We are so in a hurry, that even as we pray or read scripture, it's hurried. We must slow down our minds and bodies to get in touch with God. There are a couple ancient monastic practices to help with this. 1) Centering Prayer- In this prayer we just want to quiet ourselves and as we breath in we pray, "Jesus Crist, Son of God", and as we exhale we pray, "have mercy on me, a sinner". This is called "The Jesus Prayer". We do this over and over, and feel our bodies relax. Then we sit in complete silence and focus on what God shows us. Pick a word or phrase to center yourself with as your mind starts to wander (i.e. Jesus, love, Holy Spirit, etc.). Sit and wait on God. The Holy Spirit will come over you and you should feel at peace. Then you can begin to pray and read in a state that allows you to be more receptive to God.
In America, we tend to read really fast. The monks practised the Lectio Divina. It is a process of reading slowly, silently, and contemplatively, waiting for God to point out a verse or phrase to us. We focus on the verse or phrase, repeating it over and over again in your mind, until it sinks in deep. What does this verse say to you? Why is it for you? How can you bring this into your life? Rest and let God speak to you. Go back into a centering silence, and let God's words be all that you hear. Write out what you have learned, so as to not forget it.
These two practices seem foriegn to us, but are ancient. They seem odd, because it is exactly the opposite of how we live our lives. How much time do we waste everyday? Can you remember moments you've spent unwisely today? We need to get in the practice of praying all the time. Spending time with God like this 4 times a day (morning, afternoon, evening, and night) will help move you in the right direction, even if at times you can only spend 5-10 minutes. Try it expectantly, you won't be disappointed.