Surprised by Contemplation! Drawing closer to God
Contemplation is almost a foreign term in this harried, "always on" 24-7 world today. Who has time for contemplation, anyway? Jesus, for one. I'm learning it, too. Soul Marking #2, Contemplation
Contemplation. What does that word stir up in you? Does it create wonder in you?
Do you wonder and ask with David, “Who are you, God, that you desire a relationship with me?” Psalm 8:4, paraphrased.
Or do you dare to inquire along with Nathan Foster, “God, what do you really think of me?”1
Alan Kraft asked it another way, “How does God ‘feel’ about me?”2
This is going to be a different kind of post. I am going to bring you in live to my contemplation and walk with God yesterday. Imagine you are there with me as we walk with God.
“I am walking the Prayer Trail this morning, listening to You are My All in All by Dennis Jernigan, a great song for abiding in Jesus as I approach Soul Marking #2 Contemplation.
Pausing at Soul Marking #1, Preparation, I center my heart in prayer as I look up the valley, watching the Thistle seeds blow, and the Aspen trees shimmer. In full color now, stunningly beautiful!
A beautiful hawk flies over me. Such beauty and grace appear to float on the wind. I know it’s not a dove, but I sense the Holy Spirit overshadowing me.
I know the hawk is hunting. I am “hunting”, too, as I am earnestly seeking to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord.
As I sit quietly at Contemplation, Aspen in full golden color and dark green Ponderosa pine surround me. The breeze is strong. Some of the Aspen are losing their leaves already to the strength of the wind. In just a few weeks, the Aspen will be tall, straight, white posts with black scars, still beautiful, but in the season of dormancy. Winter approaches.
Welcoming the realities of the changing seasons, I ponder my own life. I’m entering a new season, too. We must return from the mountain back to the realities of normal life. But a new normal is emerging because of the transforming power of God. As I have listened to him for the last two weeks, he has spoken, and again, with a refreshed spirit and reaffirmed call, life will never be the same.
In Contemplation I am:
Welcoming God
Receiving God
Holding onto God
Loving God
Resting in God
Staying with God
Not in a hurry
Noticing and wondering
Noticing the shimmer and the beauty of the Aspen
Noticing and welcoming the cool breeze on my face
Noticing and feeling the warmth of the sunshine, the spectacular blue of the sky
Noticing and worshipping as the pure white clouds float by (Reminds me of the pillar of fire and cloud that guided and overshadowed people of God and the Tabernacle in the wilderness.")
I am noticing God and welcoming His holy presence through nature, His Holy Spirit within me, and His Word constantly floods my mind.
All of this is Contemplation
Thank you, God, that I have memorized so many scriptures. Thank you for bringing them back to my mind at just the right moments!
Words from The Truth by Megan Woods intrude (but it’s not an intrusion - It’s a word from God): I don’t belong to the lies. I belong to You, and that’s the Truth!
The truth about God is that he is real, personal, loving, faithful, and true.
Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. He continued, I came that you might have life and life more abundantly! (John 16:6 & 10:10)
What is True about Jesus?
So I contemplate Jesus. What is true about Jesus? Especially in this moment, in this place . . .
He is present
He came seeking me
He is accessible
He is available
He is holding me
He will never leave me
He is never in a hurry
He is always himself, the one who loves me so much that he died to save me
And, He lives to keep me!
My heart cries, Hallelujah, what a Savior!
When I contemplate God, the Father, God, the Son, and God, the Holy Spirit, these are the thoughts that well up in my soul. And the time with God brings me to an incredible place of love, joy, and peace.
Dennis Jernigan describes it well, “You are my strength when I am weak, you are the treasure that I seek. You are my all in all!”
Yes, He is all that, and He is so much more! My heart, with baited breath, anticipates what He will reveal to me today.
Join me on the journey . . . (This ends the narrative.)
Contemplation is Flexible
An oft-used definition: Contemplation is sitting quietly before the Lord and listening. But as you can see from the above reflections, it’s also a conversation, an interaction, a fellowship, worship, prayer, and just being with the one you love.
I may not have “followed all the rules”, but I did truly contemplate God yesterday, and He spoke. I felt loved, accepted, and Beloved in His arms.
Em Tyler shared, “You don’t need to wake up at 5 AM to be close to God. You don’t need a highlighter-coded Bible. You don’t need to do what works for everyone else. You just need to be with Him. Faith isn’t a formula. It’s a relationship. Keep coming back. Walk with Him daily. Again, and again.”
It’s all about the Relationship
Amen! Keep coming back to the relationship. Just be with the one you love. That is the beginning of the path toward and the walk of contemplation.
May God richly bless you as you discover and practice your personal practice of gazing upon the beauty of the Lord! Psalm 27:4 CSB
My wife and I were launched into this lifestyle of loving God and walking with Him in new (actually, old) ways at The Soul Care Experience seven years ago. We immediately enrolled in the Soul Care Institute, six 5-day retreats spanning 2 years. It was truly transformative, and we highly recommend it. Learn more
Each institute cohort has a “shepherd” who attends each retreat and, well, shepherds us. At the commissioning at the end of the last retreat, our shepherd, Fil Anderson,3 exhorted, “Oh, my heart desires that you all become contemplatives.”
We are on our way! I hope you join us.
I would love to hear your thoughts and how you practice contemplation.
One final thing. Three songs were meaningful to me yesterday. I pray they will touch your heart, too.
Dennis Jernigan:
Megan Woods, The Truth
Belovedness, Sarah Kroger
https://renovare.org/articles/god-what-do-you-think-about-me Nathan Foster
Alan Kraft, The Intimate God, p. 7.
Fil Anderson, Running on Empty and Breaking the Rules. Highly recommended. Available on Amazon
Such a good Word this morning. Thank you, Mike. I needed this today. Your gift of writing and communicating is an encouragement and source of strength. Bless you, my brother.
Another great post. Thank you and i loved the songs