Contemplation as a doorway to the presence of God

Psalm 131 (NASB)
    A Song of Ascents, of David.

O LORD, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes haughty;
Nor do I involve myself in great matters,
Or in things too difficult for me.
Surely I have composed and quieted my soul;
Like a weaned child rests against his mother,
My soul is like a weaned child within me.
O Israel, hope in the LORD
From this time forth and forever.

While praying for revival, I learned that intercession is warfare; it's work; it's strenuous and exhausting.  I eventually came to understand that intercession was not meant to be the focus of my prayer life.  Intercession must be balanced with restful contemplation - the practice of prayer that restores and fills the empty soul.

Contemplation is the antithesis of intercession.  It asks nothing of God.  Contemplation is the soul's communion with Him, resting in HIs presence, like a weaned child resting in her mother's arms.

When we contemplate an idea, we think about it:  what it is, what it is like compared to something else, what will happen if we do one thing and what will happen if we do another.  The spiritual practice of contemplation is similar, because it too involves reflecting on ideas and experience.  I contemplate the character and acts of God; I think about who He is and what He has done in history; I think about what He has done in my life; I pause to praise and give thanks.

So contemplation is all about being in the moment with God, about being with Him and being open to the Spirit.  Contemplation involves looking and waiting and listening.  It asks nothing; it receives everything.

Contemplation is the closest to experiencing transcendence and eternity that we non-mystical types will find in our mortal lives.  Contemplation is a very good thing, because it is the doorway to the presence of God.

(Journal, Jan. 3, 2012)