24. 04.
We need not worry that [prayer] will take up too much of our time, for “It takes up no time, but it occupies all our time.” It is not prayer in addition to work but prayer simultaneous with work. We precede, enfold, and follow all our work with prayer.
Richard J. Foster, Celebration of Discipline
I agree 100% with the statement above, however, I still consider it to be of great value to take time, just as Jesus did during his time on earth, to spend in prayer. What Foster is pointing out here is that prayer is not something that should be done only during a dedicated time, rather it should be something we do during our daily tasks so that we may constantly be aware of God’s presence.
Spending dedicated time in prayer, just as with meditation, is part of a healthy Christian life, but more importantly is our call to be in constant communion with God throughout our daily lives.
22. 04.
Christian meditation, very simply, is the ability to hear God’s voice and obey his word.
Richard J. Foster, Celebration of Discipline, Chapter 2
Meditation is a discipline that many Christians don’t understand, or have an incorrect understanding of. The meditation talked about in popular culture involves clearing your mind and releasing negative energy. It is often associated with Yoga and other physical disciplines. There is often an emphasis on becoming part of a universal spirituality that everyone practices in their own unique way.
Christian meditation has a very different purpose from other forms of meditation. The goal is to become united with God, filling our mind, heart and spirit with God’s love, peace, joy and hope. Christian meditation can include focusing on scripture, a song or a prayer.
Hearing God’s voice is often misunderstood as well. Up until a few years ago, I always thought that hearing God’s voice was something only the super-spiritual Christians could do, as though it was a gift or a skill that came with time. I now realize that hearing God’s voice is something we, as believers, must be doing all the time. God speaks through countless things, such as family, friends, scripture, nature, pain (especially pain), sorrow, prayers, songs… the list goes on.
Obeying God’s word can be thought of as an active meditation. Sitting and meditating on God’s word is only one part. Meditation is not at all useful if I get up from my meditation and go right on neglecting the presence of God in my life. Active meditation through obedience is the point of meditation in the first place. We meditate on God’s word so that we will hear it, believe it, understand it and obey it.
21. 04.
One of my favorite books on the topic of Christian discipline is the book by Richard J. Foster, Celebration of Discipline. It is an extremely challenging book, but at the same time it opened my eyes to new ways of practicing what Foster lists as the 12 disciplines of the Christian Faith.
Foster, in Chapter One, states, “Superficiality is the curse of our age. The doctrine of instant satisfaction is a primary spiritual problem. The desperate need today is not for a greater number of intelligent people, or gifted people, but for deep people.”
He goes on… “Joy is the keynote of all the Disciplines. The purpose of the Disciplines is liberation from the stifling slavery to self-interest and fear.”
Over the next couple weeks I will be writing about these 12 disciplines and how they are a struggle to practice, and how rewarding they are when practiced.
William Knelsen