Bible meditation | The Contemplative Writer

Scripture Meditation: The Fear of the Lord and Contemplative Prayer

Posted on September 27, 2016September 26, 2016 by Ed Cyzewski

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; those who act accordingly have a good understanding; his praise endures forever.”
Psalm 111:10

While Jesus tells us to not be afraid, and Paul says that God has not given us a spirit of fear, the Psalms have a way of putting us in our place. Those who are wise rightly fear the Lord, even if God does not come to us with thunder and fire.

The gentleness and meekness of Jesus is much like the same approach of Moses, who veiled his face after seeing God’s glory. God does not seek our worship or reverence through intimidation, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t fear the holiness and power of God.

A healthy “fear” of the Lord keeps us humble and helps us see God’s love and mercy with greater clarity and gratitude.

For Reflection

Book of the Month: The Way of the Heart

Posted on September 26, 2016September 26, 2016 by Ed Cyzewski

Week Four: Finding God in Silence…

Perhaps you’ve hoped, prayed, and waited for God to speak or you’ve spoken many words in your pursuit of God. Henrí Nouwen writes that God is present in the silence and that our pursuit of silence may be one of the surest paths to God.

While acknowledging the place of speaking and teaching, Nouwen reminds us that our words can often get us in trouble. James assured us that the tongue is a restless evil that the Desert Fathers and Mothers sought to overcome by “fleeing” the use of many words.

Out of this pursuit of silence, they found freedom to speak less but with greater insight and awareness of God.

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“Silence is the way to make solitude a reality. The Desert Fathers praise silence as the safest way to God.”

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“The Word of God is born out of the eternal silence of God, and it is to this Word out of silence that we want to be witnesses.”

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“Speaking gets us involved in the affairs of the world, and it is very hard to be involved without becoming entangled in and polluted by the world.”

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“Sometimes it seems that our many words are more an expression of doubt than of our faith. It is as if we are not sure that God’s Spirit can touch the hearts of people: we have to help him out and, with man words, convince others of his power.”

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“In order to be a ministry in the Name of Jesus, our ministry must also point beyond our words to the unspeakable mystery of God.”

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Reflection

Scripture Meditation: The Freedom in Surrender

Posted on September 20, 2016September 19, 2016 by Ed Cyzewski

“And Mary said,“My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior…”
Luke 1:46-47

After hearing news that I suspect no one can fully comprehend, Mary responded with words of praise for God. The word to “magnify” is sometimes translated as extol or praise, as we don’t often speak of “magnifying” someone these days.

Mary saw her role in the salvation plan of God as a reason to praise God. She didn’t have to bear the burden of seeking her own glory, defending her own name, or exalting her own plans.

There is great freedom in our surrender to God’s direction for our lives.

As we limit ourselves to the actions that draw glory to God, we shake away the many ambitions and fears that can drag so many down. May we find the joy of Mary as we surrender ourselves to God’s loving direction.

For Reflection

Friday Favorites for Prayer and Writing

Posted on September 9, 2016September 7, 2016 by Ed Cyzewski

Each Friday I share some of my favorite finds related to praying or writing. If I think it could help you pray or write better, then I’ll include it below.

Do you have someone else’s article or post to share? Join the Contemplative Writers Facebook group, comment on today’s post on my Facebook page, or follow me on Twitter (@edcyzewski) to nominate your favorite articles, blog posts, and books by Thursday at noon each week.

Something to Learn from the Last Generation Before the Internet

Three Weeks After My Book Is Published (It’s no secret that I appreciate the writing of D. L. Mayfield)

The Spiritual Practice of Writing a Book

Father Thomas Keating on the Meaning of Life (Hint: It doesn’t come naturally!)

From Ed’s blog: When Do Christian Books Cause Too Much Damage?

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Saturday Prayer

Posted on September 3, 2016August 27, 2016 by Ed Cyzewski

Today’s prayer comes from the Common Prayer app:

Soul of Christ, sanctify me;
body of Christ, save me;
blood of Christ, inebriate me;
water from the side of Christ, wash me;
passion of Christ, strengthen me.
O good Jesus, hear me;
within your wounds hide me;
suffer me not to be separated from you;
from the malicious enemy defend me;
in the hour of my death call me,
and bid me come to you
that with your saints I may praise you
forever and ever. Amen.

Find more prayers in Common Prayer

Scripture Meditation: Responding to God with Silence

Posted on August 30, 2016November 26, 2016 by Ed Cyzewski

O LORD, I am not proud; I have no haughty looks. I do not occupy myself with great matters, or with things that are too hard for me. But I still my soul and make it quiet, like a child upon its mother’s breast, my soul is quieted within me.
Psalm 131:1-3

Do you believe that God desires to nurture, protect, and guide you? Can you accept that God desires you to rest like a child resting with his/her mother?

Stillness and quiet are appropriate, even essential responses to God.

For Reflection

Featured Book: Thoughts in Solitude

Posted on August 29, 2016August 27, 2016 by Ed Cyzewski

Week Five: Silence and Solitude for the Anxious

Thomas Merton was well aware of the anxiousness and fragmentation of our wold. Perhaps he saw these trends with particular clarity because he had given so much time to solitude.

Solitude can be learned and developed, just as anxiety can be exposed and then replaced. These aren’t quick fixes or processes that happen over night. They take practice, with the word practice indicated a lot of imperfection and failure as we continue. However, the rewards are invaluable.

Thomas Merton writes in Thoughts in Solitude:

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“Ours is a time of anxiety because we have willed it to be so. Our anxiety is not imposed on us by force from outside. We impose it on our world and upon one another from within ourselves.”

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“The solitary life, being silent, clears away the smoke-screen of words that man has laid down between his mind and things.”

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“When we are not living up to our true vocation, thought deadens our life, or substitutes itself for life, or gives in to life so that our life drowns out our thinking and stifles the voice of conscience. When we find our vocation—thought and life are one.”

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“As soon as a man is fully disposed to be alone with God, he is alone with God no matter where he may be—in the country, the monastery, the woods or the city.”

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Featured Article: Multitasking Drains Us, Kills Focus, and Leads to Anxiety

Posted on August 24, 2016August 19, 2016 by Ed Cyzewski

You may have applied to a job that values “multitasking,” but the latest research tells us that regularly switching between work, email, and social media can kill focus and lead to a sense of anxiety. Even worse, we can train our brain to crave interruptions.

While working on this post I even had to close my email tab because checking email has become a regular habit. Researchers suggest that we need regular breaks away from our screens in order to recharge and set aside focused time to address email and social media without constantly interrupting our days.

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Featured Book: Thoughts in Solitude

Posted on August 22, 2016August 17, 2016 by Ed Cyzewski

Week Four: Contemplation Is a Gift

Contemplation is a gift from God that we could not even attempt in the first place if God hadn’t given it to us. This approach to prayer reminds us that we truly do rely completely on the grace and kindness of God.

However it’s also all too easy to turn the pursuit of contemplation into it’s own end. Merton warns us against seeking mountain top experiences or assurances of God’s love because these pursuits can overtake our greater pursuit of God’s loving presence. He writes in Thoughts in Solitude:

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“The only thing to seek in contemplative prayer is God; and we seek Him successfully when we realize that we cannot find Him unless He shows Himself to us, and yet at the same time that He would not have inspired us to seek Him unless we had already found Him.”

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“There is a stage in the spiritual life in which we find God in ourselves—this presence is a created effect of His love. It is a gift of His, to us. It remains in us. All the gifts of God are good. But if we rest in them, rather than in Him, they lose their goodness for us.”

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“If you want to have a spiritual life you must unify your life. A life is either all spiritual or not spiritual at all. No man can serve two masters. Your life is shaped by the end you live for. You are made in the image of what you desire.”

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Learn more about Thoughts in Solitude…

For Reflection

Featured Article: Tips for Overcoming Distraction

Posted on August 10, 2016August 8, 2016 by Ed Cyzewski

Whether at work with our writing or seeking the quiet of contemplative prayer, distractions will become a major challenge. Thankfully, there are some tried and true ways to approach our days and to organize our tasks in order to make the most of our time.

This article in the Harvard Business Review offers a great summary of the latest research in overcoming distractions in our day to day lives:

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“Start trying a simple mindfulness practice when you wake up, which can be anything from quietly taking a few deep breaths to meditating for 20 or 30 minutes. Dr. Seppälä explains why this is so important: ‘Meditation is a way to train your nervous system to calm despite the stress of our daily lives.'”

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“Instead of struggling to accomplish what matters, you can take advantage of your body’s natural rhythms. Focus on complex, creative tasks in the morning; these things will tend to be ones you accomplish individually or with 2–3 other people. Push all other meetings to the afternoon.”

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“If you want to avoid wasting time and burning out, add buffer time between each meeting. For every 45–60 minutes you spend in a meeting, make sure to take 15 minutes or more to process, reflect, and prioritize.”

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