Contemplation versus Consumption
I believe that God speaks to me through my own deliberate thought process.
I spend a lot of time engaging in contemplation. It's not unusual to see me at a coffee shop for a couple of hours with my journal in hand. Or to find me in the middle of my thoughts while sitting in my favorite chair at home. I consider these precious moments where I'm doing some deep thinking as an important spiritual practice.
I have a simple definition for contemplation: the spiritual practice of deliberately thinking about God and my life and the integration of the two. The first goal of contemplation is to know God and become fully aware of Him. God declared in Psalm 46:10 (ESV), "Be still, and know that I am God." Contemplation helps me "see" (or “perceive”) God for who He truly is. The second goal of contemplation is to align my life to God's will and desires. I do this by intentionally thinking about my life—what needs to be worked on in my life and how I should go about doing it.
I believe that God speaks to me through my own deliberate thought process. He reminds me of Bible verses that I've meditated on and memorized. He brings to mind people that I should think and pray about. He prompts me regarding situations that I need to do something about. He brings to my attention character issues that need working on. As I use my brain to think through various things in life, God uses this mental process to speak to me and lead me in the way I should go.
In Psalm 101, the psalmist says this: "I will ponder the way that is blameless" (Ps. 101:2 ESV). Notice the connection between “pondering” and discovering the way that is blameless. The psalmist encourages us to use our brains—our thinking. God gave us the ability to think for a reason. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we can use it to discern the best way forward for our lives.
The key, however, is to be intentional about it. Yes, a random revelation of wisdom and insight can occur at any time. But I find that God often speaks to us when we are simply deliberate in thinking about our problems, our issues, our future, and our relationships. He uses our act of thinking to lead us in the way we should go. But contemplation is not an easy activity to master. Contemplation takes time and energy to do well. On the other hand, consuming information is much easier. That's why it's easier to scroll through your social media feed rather than think deeply about complex issues or problems. Beware of consumption for it can so easily replace the needed work of personal contemplation in our lives.
Barnabas the Monastic
Servant of Christ. Husband. Dad. Modern Monastic. I have a wild ambition in life: get as close to the Lord Jesus Christ as I can while on earth. I explore and integrate ancient Christian monk wisdom in modern everyday life. Lives in Canada.
