Contemplative Prayer- What is it?

[Sower]

 

Posted previously "PS Celtic contemplative prayer has been going on since around 290AD, nothing to do with Eastern religions or yoga" 

I do personally not know anything about this, but found this below.

contemplative prayer vs biblical meditation   Big difference......................

 

Got questions says; "Question: "What is contemplative prayer?"

Answer: It is important to first define “contemplative prayer.” Contemplative prayer is not just “contemplating while you pray.” The Bible instructs us to pray with our minds (1 Corinthians 14:15), so, clearly, prayer does involve contemplation. However, praying with your mind is not what “contemplative prayer” has come to mean. Contemplative prayer has slowly increased in practice and popularity along with the rise of the emerging church movement—a movement which embraces many unscriptural ideas and practices. Contemplative prayer is one such practice.

Contemplative prayer begins with “centering prayer,” a meditative practice where the practitioner focuses on a word and repeats that word over and over for the duration of the exercise. The purpose is to clear one’s mind of outside concerns so that God’s voice may be more easily heard. After the centering prayer, the practitioner is to sit still, listen for direct guidance from God, and feel His presence.

Although this might sound like an innocent exercise, this type of prayer has no scriptural support whatsoever. In fact, it is just the opposite of how prayer is defined in the Bible. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” (Philippians 4:6). “In that day you will no longer ask me anything. I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete” (John 16:23-24). These verses and others clearly portray prayer as being comprehendible communication with God, not an esoteric, mystical meditation.

Contemplative prayer, by design, focuses on having a mystical experience with God. Mysticism, however, is purely subjective, and does not rely upon truth or fact. Yet the Word of God has been given to us for the very purpose of basing our faith, and our lives, on Truth (2 Timothy 3:16-17). What we know about God is based on fact; trusting in experiential knowledge over the biblical record takes a person outside of the standard that is the Bible.

Contemplative prayer is no different than the meditative exercises used in Eastern religions and New Age cults. Its most vocal supporters embrace an open spirituality among adherents from all religions, promoting the idea that salvation is gained by many paths, even though Christ Himself stated that salvation comes only through Him (John 14:6). Contemplative prayer, as practiced in the modern prayer movement, is in opposition to biblical Christianity and should definitely be avoided.

 

The Cripplegate

---

Is Meditation permissible for Christians? (in 500 words) Posted: 01 Oct 2018 12:01 AM PDT The practice of meditation in its many forms (transcendental, mindful, body scan, awareness, zen, etc.) has suddenly metastasized into a lucrative industry, assimilated by Western corporate conglomerates. Even the Marines are taking a stab at the practice. The frenetic noisiness of modern life has fertilized the market for a new crop of meditation apps (e.g. Headspace and Calm), productivity pundits (e.g. Leo Babauta of zenhabits(dot)net fame) and business section bestsellers aimed at secular readership (e.g. 10% Happier by Dan Harris and conclusions in Tools of Titans by Tim Ferriss). Some Christians, who are rightly wary of imbibing any gateway drug to New Age worldviews or practices, are curious about the intersection of Eastern-origin and biblical meditation. I have been asked on a few occasions, “Is it permissible for Christians to engage in meditation?” And the answer is… Let’s define our terms. Meditation is a biblical term, used 22 times in the Hebrew Old Testament. Here’s a smattering of examples:   Genesis 24: 63 And Isaac went out to meditate in the field toward evening. Joshua 1: 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. Psalm 77: 3 When I remember God, I moan; when I meditate, my spirit faints… 12 I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds. Psalm 119: 97 Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day. …99 …your testimonies are my meditation. Psalm 143: 5 I remember the days of old; I meditate on all that you have done; I ponder the work of your hands. Psalm 145: 5 On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate. Isaac’s practice (Gen 24:63) is not described, just mentioned. But whenever the practice is described, it is coupled in parallel with other verbs that convey an active practice of dwelling mentally on content derived from God’s revelation. So, meditation is far from being an unbiblical practice when it is practiced in this way: filling one’s mind with true content, such as the historical truth of God’s works, God’s character, God’s teachings, God’s will. In short, when you fill your mind with Scripture or truths derived from Scripture, meditation is a profitable practice. Whereas the biblical practice of meditation is a filling of the mind with truth to be understood, memorized, and implemented (see Phil 4:8-9), Eastern meditative practices, in contrast, emphasize the emptying of the mind. All Eastern or secular meditation practices I have encountered in my research—as taught on the internet, in popular books, guided courses, and smartphone apps—propose ways to focus on a word or a thought that is devoid of biblical content, or is a practice of mindful awareness, non-judgment, and other argot for “do anything except think about the God of the Bible and his will.” The idea is to allow thoughts to pass through consciousness without judgment, or to edge thoughts out of the mind completely. Granted, a Christian might be able to graft Scriptural truth into the practices that teach one how to focus on one word or concept or attitude or feeling, by substituting biblical content as the object of one’s focus. But I don’t believe there is any need to lean on secular, New Age, or Buddhist practices to learn about biblical meditation. We can learn meditation from the Bible. We are encouraged to fill our minds “day and night” with God’s word so that our thoughts and feelings are influenced by truth about him and his doings and his will. Hope this helps.........

[JTC]

I have a very different idea of what Contemplative prayer is. First look up the verb "contemplate", it means deep thought. So to me contemplative prayer means to pray about what I either just read (in the Bible) or it means to listen to what the Holy Spirit is telling me about things I've been asking Him about. It's really sad that some people are giving it a New Age meaning. I can see we've reached a point where before we debate something we better make sure we're defining our words the same. I've been doing Christian contemplative prayer for about 30 yrs. We do have to stay still sometimes and listen to God. And as we know, God usually speaks in a still small voice, He doesn't scream. Until a few days ago I didn't know the New Age people had changed the meaning of contemplative prayer. If you do it with God in mind it's a good thing.

[Sower]

2 hours ago, maryjayne said:

3 hours ago, JTC said:

I can see we've reached a point where before we debate something we better make sure we're defining our words the same.

sadly, this is true. I am finding more and more the words used for one thing have been changed to mean something else, and conversation can be a minefield without having clear definitions of our understanding of the words we are using.

Exactly, thus the purpose of this thread. Also, why I purposely posted, from two reputable sources, above,  a concise definition of the popular " Contemplative prayer", and the biblical "meditating on God's word". Surely you read it above, I hope.  If we are an adults with some reasoning ability, we would understand how meanings of words change quickly in these modern social media frenzies. To be gay today is not like it was when I was young. People were stoned in biblical times, and today that means something entirely different. JTC, you want your own meaning  of what Contemplative prayer is, but what this thread is "trying" to be about is the current popular meaning of most.  "Contemplate; look thoughtfully for a long time at- think profoundly and at length; meditate"
There you go. Like you understand, (and myself) but not the popular meaning in regards to secular meaning. I would not say to another I use contemplative prayer methods, nor would I say I'm gay.  Awful: Awful things used to be “worthy of awe” for a variety of reasons, which is how we get expressions like “the awful majesty of God.” Yes, and I have said it, God is awful! I know, and God knows, what I mean.  I just don't say it in public, for fear of misunderstanding. Kinda like this thread is going.....
Was really hoping to bring forth a reasonable accurate understanding of secular popular " contemplative prayer" and how it appears to be seeping into Christian churches, while the people are not aware of what they are participating in. 
This is all new to me, as I have not really heard about it from any body, other on this forum. But it sure reminds me of when my wife and I took a course back in the seventies in Transcendental Meditation. Eastern mystic repetitive silent mantra meditation. I wished someone had clued me in about the TM origins and practices, as I would never participated in it. Thus the reason for this thread. To alert people who are unaware. Not to upset people. To discuss as family, God's family.
Please correct me where necessary. I'm here to learn. Like you, I hope.

[Debp]

Biblical meditation is something all Christians should seek to do.   As we slowly read some Scripture verses, pondering them, we will find the meanings of the verses go more deeply into our hearts.

[JTC]

13 hours ago, Gary Lee said:

Exactly, thus the purpose of this thread.

Gary, I wasn't trying to disagree with you. I was pointing out a different meaning. I remember when I was confused by the Bible saying we should meditate. You probably were too. It took me close to 20 yrs to realize that the Bible doesn't mean to meditate in the Eastern, Hindu, or Buddhist way. So it's good you made this thread. 

Once a person learns to pray in the Christian contemplative way it's a useful thing. But deliberately making one's mind blank so a spirit can enter it will usually bring a godless spirit, aka devils, demons, or fallen angels. 

Btw, we need to do a thread on DMT because this is another way to contact un-godly spirits. I'm still learning about this but already I see that devils will use this especially with young people. 

[Sower]

20 minutes ago, JTC said:

Gary, I wasn't trying to disagree with you. I was pointing out a different meaning. I remember when I was confused by the Bible saying we should meditate. You probably were too. It took me close to 20 yrs to realize that the Bible doesn't mean to meditate in the Eastern, Hindu, or Buddhist way. So it's good you made this thread. 

Once a person learns to pray in the Christian contemplative way it's a useful thing. But deliberately making one's mind blank so a spirit can enter it will usually bring a godless spirit, aka devils, demons, or fallen angels. 

Btw, we need to do a thread on DMT because this is another way to contact un-godly spirits. I'm still learning about this but already I see that devils will use this especially with young people. 

Totally understand, JT. Just trying to warn about my personal experiences with "stuff" that I unknowingly  got involved in.  The secular is extremely proficient in language/media word warping, to suit their agenda. Thanks for yours and maryjanes heads up. Stay vigilant. In Christ!

[frienduff thaylorde]

8 hours ago, Yowm said:

Today's Contemplative Prayer movement EVEN AMONG MANY CHRISTIANS should not be confused with pondering over and meditating on God's Word. There are movements infiltrating the Church that teaches in order to draw near to God, just take one or two words, center your mind on them until you have (feel) a peaceful sensation. THIS IS DEFINITELY NOT BIBLICAL.

But is it anti biblical .    YES .    JESUS instructed against THINKING you will be heard for your words and vain REPETITIONS .  YEAH ITS ANTI JESUS .

this is HOW I saw through it when I first heard about it .   IT IS SPOKEN against .   They think they will draw closer for their chants or mind blanks .

or centering .    

[frienduff thaylorde]

8 hours ago, Yowm said:

The Dangers of Contemplative Prayer

posted by A.S. on in New Age

One of the continuing snares Christians often encounter in their churches (of almost every denomination) is contemplative prayer. Is it biblical? Why are so many discernment ministries sounding the alarm? After all, doesn’t the Bible say we are to meditate on God’s Word?

The answer to that last question is YES! We are to fill our minds with Scripture and think on those verses night and day–or as often as possible.

The problem with contemplative prayer is its mystical/Eastern (non-Christian) roots and its mind-emptying techniques (entering the “silence,” breath prayers, chanting mantras, etc.).

On her Sola Sister’s Blog, Christine Pack shares some excellent resources along with “red flag” terms you can look for as well as insights from her own experience in the New Age:

The Dangers of Contemplative Prayer

By Christine Pack (Article reprinted in full)

An excellent article by Pastor Gary Gilley of Southern View Chapel explains why Contemplative Prayer practices (which are now in every Christian denomination that I know of) are unbiblical. Contemplative Prayer often enters into churches under the following guises:

– Spiritual Formation
– Spiritual Disciplines
– Ancient Future
– Contemplative Spirituality
– Taize
– Centering Prayer
– Lectio Divina
– Jesus Prayer
– Labyrinth
– Walk To Emmaus

Writes Gilley:

“Spiritual formation seeks to lure evangelicals into ancient Catholic and Orthodox contemplative practices in order to draw closer to God, experience His presence, and hear His voice apart from Scripture. In order to embrace this mystical form of spirituality, contemplatives are willing to compromise at virtually every turn. Central doctrines such as sola fide and sola Scriptura are shrugged off as secondary. Methods never found in the Bible as the true means of spiritual growth and of knowing God, are emphasized. And complete heretics such as Thomas Merton are seen as reliable spiritual guides to spirituality. The contemplatives have sold out to Catholic mysticism and abandoned the clear teaching of Scripture. Sadly, in the process many undiscerning evangelicals will follow suit.”

I grew up in a very liberal church (i.e., a church devoid of the true gospel), in which Contemplative Prayer practices were recommended routinely for those who came seeking help with “a stale prayer life.” After I left the church as a young woman and went into the New Age, these mystical practices were also an enormous part of my newfound spirituality.

When God saved me at 35, I repented of these practices and recognized them for what they were: a Satanic counterfeit designed to tricks non-believers through whipped up mystical experiences into thinking they were experiencing God. But sadly, it wasn’t long before these practices began flowing into what had once been solid, evangelical churches (including my own precious church, where I was saved).

So in a way, I feel I have been surrounded by these wicked mystical practices all of my life. I know them from the inside out, and I know how deceptive they are. They can deceive unregenerated people into thinking for years – in many cases, a lifetime – that they have a real, active, ongoing relationship with the God of the universe.

Many of these people will think they are Christian when in fact they are not. They will have aligned themselves with other professing Christians, they will attend weekly services in a church, they will be doing all of the things that they think they are supposed to be doing in order to be reconciled to God (tithing, attending church, serving the community, sending teams to foreign countries to dig wells, build infrastructure, etc.), and a great many of them will be lost, lost, lost. These are the people God is talking about in Matthew 7:

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ (Matthew 7:21-23)

Do you understand what I’m saying here? These are not self-professed atheists or Hindu’s or Muslims or witches. They aren’t down at the local mosque or temple or witch’s coven…..they are in churches. These are people who are deceived. Perhaps they are people you know and are close to: spouses, children, grandchildren, uncles, aunts, parents, friends, neighbors, co-workers, etc. If you know anyone who has become ensnared in the deceptive mystical practices of Contemplative Prayer, please share Pastor Gilley’s article with them, or any of the other many, many articles/programs about Contemplative Prayer that can be found on this site, as well as a number of other excellent sites, including:

https://bereanresearch.org/the-dangers-of-contemplative-prayer/

I grew up in a very liberal church (i.e., a church devoid of the true gospel), in which Contemplative Prayer practices were recommended routinely for those who came seeking help with “a stale prayer life.” After I left the church as a young woman and went into the New Age, these mystical practices were also an enormous part of my newfound spirituality

Sounds like this lady was being prepared to fall away by her own church .    THIS is what I also warn against .

That contemplative prayer is opening folks up to a can of deceiving spirits .    As they FEEEL    and are slowly being changed over time .

WHY you THINK pope francis made such a big ado about it before the whole world .   HE PRAISED IT .    as do many .   strange fire is nothing to praise .

Aarons sons found that out , when they tried to bring strange fire into the house of prayer .  IT did not bode well for them .

We cannot take what is anti JESUS ,  and try and christanize it .  We cannot take from the evil and try and convert it into something good we can use in christanity .

ITS STRANGE FIRE .     Even Bentley said as his adulterous second wife was bouncing and shaking her head ,   WHEW that's some strange fire .

WELL TODD was right about that ,    IT WAS STRANGE FIRE of a kundalini Spirit at work on her , and the church thought it was a move of GOD .

THAT is called delusion . 

[frienduff thaylorde]

On ‎10‎/‎1‎/‎2018 at 10:20 AM, Gary Lee said:

 

Posted previously "PS Celtic contemplative prayer has been going on since around 290AD, nothing to do with Eastern religions or yoga" 

I do personally not know anything about this, but found this below.

contemplative prayer vs biblical meditation   Big difference......................

 

Got questions says; "Question: "What is contemplative prayer?"

Answer: It is important to first define “contemplative prayer.” Contemplative prayer is not just “contemplating while you pray.” The Bible instructs us to pray with our minds (1 Corinthians 14:15), so, clearly, prayer does involve contemplation. However, praying with your mind is not what “contemplative prayer” has come to mean. Contemplative prayer has slowly increased in practice and popularity along with the rise of the emerging church movement—a movement which embraces many unscriptural ideas and practices. Contemplative prayer is one such practice.

Contemplative prayer begins with “centering prayer,” a meditative practice where the practitioner focuses on a word and repeats that word over and over for the duration of the exercise. The purpose is to clear one’s mind of outside concerns so that God’s voice may be more easily heard. After the centering prayer, the practitioner is to sit still, listen for direct guidance from God, and feel His presence.

Although this might sound like an innocent exercise, this type of prayer has no scriptural support whatsoever. In fact, it is just the opposite of how prayer is defined in the Bible. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” (Philippians 4:6). “In that day you will no longer ask me anything. I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete” (John 16:23-24). These verses and others clearly portray prayer as being comprehendible communication with God, not an esoteric, mystical meditation.

Contemplative prayer, by design, focuses on having a mystical experience with God. Mysticism, however, is purely subjective, and does not rely upon truth or fact. Yet the Word of God has been given to us for the very purpose of basing our faith, and our lives, on Truth (2 Timothy 3:16-17). What we know about God is based on fact; trusting in experiential knowledge over the biblical record takes a person outside of the standard that is the Bible.

Contemplative prayer is no different than the meditative exercises used in Eastern religions and New Age cults. Its most vocal supporters embrace an open spirituality among adherents from all religions, promoting the idea that salvation is gained by many paths, even though Christ Himself stated that salvation comes only through Him (John 14:6). Contemplative prayer, as practiced in the modern prayer movement, is in opposition to biblical Christianity and should definitely be avoided.

 

The Cripplegate

---

Is Meditation permissible for Christians? (in 500 words) Posted: 01 Oct 2018 12:01 AM PDT The practice of meditation in its many forms (transcendental, mindful, body scan, awareness, zen, etc.) has suddenly metastasized into a lucrative industry, assimilated by Western corporate conglomerates. Even the Marines are taking a stab at the practice. The frenetic noisiness of modern life has fertilized the market for a new crop of meditation apps (e.g. Headspace and Calm), productivity pundits (e.g. Leo Babauta of zenhabits(dot)net fame) and business section bestsellers aimed at secular readership (e.g. 10% Happier by Dan Harris and conclusions in Tools of Titans by Tim Ferriss). Some Christians, who are rightly wary of imbibing any gateway drug to New Age worldviews or practices, are curious about the intersection of Eastern-origin and biblical meditation. I have been asked on a few occasions, “Is it permissible for Christians to engage in meditation?” And the answer is… Let’s define our terms. Meditation is a biblical term, used 22 times in the Hebrew Old Testament. Here’s a smattering of examples:   Genesis 24: 63 And Isaac went out to meditate in the field toward evening. Joshua 1: 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. Psalm 77: 3 When I remember God, I moan; when I meditate, my spirit faints… 12 I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds. Psalm 119: 97 Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day. …99 …your testimonies are my meditation. Psalm 143: 5 I remember the days of old; I meditate on all that you have done; I ponder the work of your hands. Psalm 145: 5 On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate. Isaac’s practice (Gen 24:63) is not described, just mentioned. But whenever the practice is described, it is coupled in parallel with other verbs that convey an active practice of dwelling mentally on content derived from God’s revelation. So, meditation is far from being an unbiblical practice when it is practiced in this way: filling one’s mind with true content, such as the historical truth of God’s works, God’s character, God’s teachings, God’s will. In short, when you fill your mind with Scripture or truths derived from Scripture, meditation is a profitable practice. Whereas the biblical practice of meditation is a filling of the mind with truth to be understood, memorized, and implemented (see Phil 4:8-9), Eastern meditative practices, in contrast, emphasize the emptying of the mind. All Eastern or secular meditation practices I have encountered in my research—as taught on the internet, in popular books, guided courses, and smartphone apps—propose ways to focus on a word or a thought that is devoid of biblical content, or is a practice of mindful awareness, non-judgment, and other argot for “do anything except think about the God of the Bible and his will.” The idea is to allow thoughts to pass through consciousness without judgment, or to edge thoughts out of the mind completely. Granted, a Christian might be able to graft Scriptural truth into the practices that teach one how to focus on one word or concept or attitude or feeling, by substituting biblical content as the object of one’s focus. But I don’t believe there is any need to lean on secular, New Age, or Buddhist practices to learn about biblical meditation. We can learn meditation from the Bible. We are encouraged to fill our minds “day and night” with God’s word so that our thoughts and feelings are influenced by truth about him and his doings and his will. Hope this helps.........

Contemplative prayer begins with “centering prayer,” a meditative practice where the practitioner focuses on a word and repeats that word over and over for the duration of the exercise. The purpose is to clear one’s mind of outside concerns so that God’s voice may be more easily heard. After the centering prayer, the practitioner is to sit still, listen for direct guidance from God, and feel His presence.
When you pray be NOT like the heathen , who pray with vain REPETITIONS , thinking they will be HEARD for their much speaking , 

WHO SAID THAT .        JESUS DID .

They think they can draw closer to GOD and await HIS voice by their much thinking of a word or a phrase .      THIS IS HOW I knew this was NO GOOD gary .

THIS type stuff IS identified as NOT TO DO by JESUS .

And you should have heard the pope a few years back .   Made a huge speech about HOW good contemplative prayer is , How he hears the still small voice of GOD during it .

RATHER ODD that the man says also all religions are finding their way to GOD .   That is no man of GOD .   This contemplative prayer

WILL open the hearts and minds to this inclusive movment .   FACT .   

[frienduff thaylorde]

46 minutes ago, Davida said:

I pray people heed the advice and warnings given. Meditations and contemplative prayer are Unbiblical and dangerous practices that can expose people to trances, self hypnosis and ungodly spiritual influences. This is what pagans do in worship to their false gods, it is not what the Bible teaches believers to do. This is not the type of worship God wants His people to partake in. Neither is chanting or repeating a word over and over, or emptying the mind. 

WHILE I FULLY AGREE WITH YOU SISTER ,    pope francis would not approve your message .   But that don't worry us one bit .