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Going deeper into God
- Centring down

By making it move flat and fast, a stone can be skimmed across water without sinking. By moving fast, making our minds work feverishly, and being activist in our thinking, we can skim across the surface of God, and never sink into the centre of his presence.

 This thread (Going deeper into God):
  1. Listening to God
  2. Centring down
  3. Opening my heart
  4. The Vine and the Branches
  5. The Bride & the Bridegroom

Finding the centre

Richard Foster uses an old Quaker term, centring down, to describe the process of focusing upon God to the exclusion of all other things. This is a way of coming deeply into God's presence. The people of Israel understood this from the design of the Tabernacle and then the Temple, which drew worshippers further in towards the holiest place, moving through the outer courts in sequence. It is the beginning of contemplative prayer.

Now read through the exercise that follows, understand what is involved, and then come back to the beginning and work through, pausing where necessary to familiarise yourself with the next step. Don't clock-watch, but try not to rush. This should take quite some time if it is to be of value.

 

Exercise

Sit comfortably. Try to avoid positions that will irritate or restrict you after a while (like crossing your legs). Close your eyes. Breathe slowly and a little more deeply than you usually do. Consciously relax and let tension and anxiety drop away. If you find it hard to physically relax, tense and relax each set of muscles in sequence starting with toes and working up. Take your time.

Listen. Listen to the sounds around: a clock? bird song? traffic? next door's radio? a workman outside? Listen for a while, and then try to let the sounds drift out of your consciousness again. Now listen to your own breathing. Take your time.

Become aware of God's presence in the room. Think of Him (Christian contemplation does not empty the mind!) Let your imagination come under the power of the Holy Spirit. If it helps, picture Jesus sitting in one of the chairs alongside you. Take your time.

If frustrations, and distractions arise (almost certainly they will!) give them to God. Don't shove them out of sight, give them up. Your head will probably be a noisy place, so keep giving it over to God.

Actively surrender to God, abandoning yourself in favour of finding Him. Take your time.

 

Finally

Think about, or of you are with someone else then discuss together what that felt like, and share honestly what you made of the experience. This first attempt at centring down will have probably been difficult. Be prepared to stick at it.

 

Any questions?

If you have any queries, or comments, then e-mail us and we'll get back to you

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