Module 1 Meeting 2 - Countryside Church

MODULE 1
Prayer: Meeting 2

SHARE about your experiences in prayer since your last meeting. Discuss how God met with you through the prayer exercises and through His Word. Remember, by the end of this module, the goal is to establish a prayer rhythm that fits the disciple’s personality and schedule. Use the questions below as discussion starters if needed:

For the Disciple

1. How did you feel about your experience with prayer? Were you comfortable? Was it confusing?

2. What worked well with your prayer time? What did you like that you would do again?

3. What didn’t work well with your prayer time? What would you like to change or try next time?

4. Where did you go for your prayer space(s)? What time(s) of day did you pray?

5. What questions do you still have about prayer?

For the Discipler

1. What worked well for you in your daily and weekly prayer practices?

2. What’s something you, personally, would like to change or try next time for your prayer times?

3. What suggestions do you have for your disciple as they experiment with more prayer practices?

To close

Spend time in prayer for each other. Share prayer requests—things you would like to see God work in—with one another. Prayer requests can be about big things, like a new job opportunity or for a loved one to heal from sickness, or little things, like for God to relieve you from a throbbing headache. They can be about you, friends, co-workers, or even entire countries. Cover each person’s requests in prayer, with one person going first, and the other following. Consider making this a regular way to close your discipleship meetings.

Introduction to Contemplative Prayer Practices

By Jake Thurston

Prayer isn’t just talking to God; it’s hearing from him, too. But how can we actually hear from God? Believe it or not, God is speaking to us all the time. We just need to slow down enough to hear what he’s saying.

This is the purpose of contemplative prayer. Contemplation is simply being present with God and filling our minds with him. However, it’s often not as simple as it may sound. To practice contemplative prayer, it begins by getting in the right posture to be with God. This includes removing the distractions and noise of everyday life, slowing down our activity, and getting by ourselves away from crowds and others’ expectations. We do these things in contemplative prayer all so we can better soak up God’s presence. Think of it like turning off your phone and television so you can have a good heart-to-heart conversation with a friend over coffee.

There’s not a lot of talking in contemplative prayer—but there is a lot of sitting with God. Because there isn’t a lot of activity that goes into contemplative prayer, these practices can feel pretty uncomfortable at first. In fact, contemplation is a lot easier said than done! These prayer practices reveal just how distracted and chaotic our normal every day lives can be. Contemplation gives our souls the space to unplug from the world a bit and rest in God.

On the next slide are are some key exercises to try when you’re practicing contemplative prayer this week. Try a single exercise per day, or experiment with a combination of exercises. Try different places, times of day, and lengths of time. Whatever you do, keep it simple and make it your own. Write down what you do and any insights you learn along the way.

CONTEMPLATIVE PRAYER EXERCISES

Silence

Silence removes noise and distractions to hear what God is saying. Find a space where you can sit in silence. It can be while eating breakfast early in the morning, sitting at a park, going to the library, or driving without music. Remove as many distractions as you can, like turning off the TV or putting your phone on airplane mode. Do something reflective in the silence, like journaling, reading Scripture, or filling your mind with thoughts about God

Reflect: What happens within you when you try to shut off noise?

Stillness

Stillness slows down our activity to see how God is working.

Find a space where you can sit and do nothing. Yes, that’s right. Literally nothing. Keep your phone or anything else that will demand your attention out of reach. And just sit there, allowing the stillness of your mind to be filled with thoughts on God. Don’t worry if your mind gets distracted. Catch yourself, and then refocus your mind to being filled with God. Try playing relaxing music or sound effects if it helps you focus.

Reflect: What happens within you when you try to sit still?

Solitude

Solitude breaks us from the crowd to be in God’s presence.

Find a space where you can be by yourself. It can be similar to a space listed above, as long as there’s no one else around you—avoid a public space if you can. It’s often when we’re by ourselves that we can finally catch up with how we’re truly feeling inside—but with God by our side. Bible reading, journaling, praying out loud, or listening to music are great activities to practice in solitude.

Reflect: What happens within you when you’re not around people during this practice?

Time Suggestions

Everyone is different. Some people may do longer periods of time, going 15-30 minutes, while others can only do a couple minutes. There’s no right or wrong way to do it! At the end of the day, push yourself to try something new. Reflect on your practices and readjust as you go through the week.

Breathing Prayers

A great contemplative prayer exercise while sitting in silence, stillness, and solitude are breathing prayers. These are prayers where you repeat a simple prayer while you breathe. It’s a very helpful practice to center your mind, slow down your thoughts, ease any stress, and focus on God.

Listed below are some examples. Choose a statement, and say the phrases to yourself over and over again while you inhale and exhale.

Inhale: “Jesus, Son of God” / Exhale: “Have mercy on me.”
Inhale: “Be still and know” / Exhale: “That I am God.”
Inhale: “Show your power” / Exhale: “As you have in the past”
Inhale: “When I am afraid” / Exhale: “I will trust in you”
Inhale: “Your kingdom come” / Exhale: “Your will be done”
Inhale: “In Christ alone” / Exhale: “My soul finds rest”
Inhale: “I can do all things” / Exhale: “Through Christ who gives me strength”
Inhale: “Be strong and take heart” / Exhale: “And wait on the Lord”
Inhale: “The Lord is my light and salvation” / Exhale: “So why should I be afraid?”
Inhale: Focus on God’s goodness and presence / Exhale: Focus on a problem you want to give him

Journal the following for 5 days:

Today, I practiced…. (List out what you did. Be specific!)

How did I sense God while doing this practice?

How was this practice difficult?

What could I do differently next time to make this practice more fulfilling?

How could I benefit if I practiced this regularly?

Assignment

Spend next week practicing a new set of prayer practices: Contemplative Prayer. These practices will help the disciple slow his or her mind down to be with God in silence, solitude, and stillness. Contemplative prayers are not so much about talking to God as they are about listening to God and sitting in his presence.

The Discipleship Pathway is a collaborative work between Pastors Phil Wiseman & Megan Koch of Table Church and Pastor Jake Thurston of The Ransom Church.