How would you answer this 4-letter crossword clue: “Appeal to God”?
Of course the answer is “pray”, but prayer is so much more than that.
This divine connection, prayer requires more than just pelting God with our earthly needs.
Similar to our earthy conversations, talking and listening, we need the same manners in our relationship with God.
Just like nourishing relationships with friends and family members, we develop the same “manners” to cultivate prayer connecting to our Creator.
We all enjoy learning about our families’ and friend’s life, but no one likes people who monopolize the conversations. In order to engage with others we also need to listen.
We can share our desires, with God, but then we need to listen in order to hear his answer. We need to be silent.
Surprisingly, the words “silent” and “listen” use the same letters.
Listening requires silence. This strong connection with our God, both talking (prayer) and listening (meditation) will enhance our personal relationship with the divine.
We are all pretty experienced with the “talking part” but our listening skills sometimes get shelved due to so many reasons.
Here are a few suggestions to help you incorporate the meditative aspect of your prayers, taking your time and lifestyle in consideration.
Of course, there is traditional meditation(a structured method quieting your mind), but also you can “listen” to God with-meditative walking (outdoors with trees, foliage, meadows, birds or water),
-listening to music (don’t forget about the Beach Boys hit, “God Only Knows” works for me!),
-guided meditations (recordings can direct you efforts),
-yoga (part exercise and part meditation connecting body and soul), and
-labyrinths (meditative walking through prescribed routes in a maze avoiding all mental activity)
“The quieter you become the more you hear.”(Rumi)
Even Einstein relied on silence for direction: “I think 99 times and find nothing. I stop thinking, swim in silence, and the truth comes to me.”
Let God be God!
