God Speaking through Contemplation

I believe God speaks in the simple ways of Scripture reading or personal times of contemplation.

I believe that God desires to speak to each of us. This may sound a little bit crazy if you don't believe in God. But it's not such a crazy idea to anyone who actually has a friendship with Him. A natural consequence of having a friendship with God is that communication occurs. After all, true friends naturally and regularly communicate with each other, right? And so, it's not such a far-fetched idea to believe that God desires to communicate with us, especially if we have a relationship with Him. God is a good Father who wants to speak to His children. He wants to shape and guide them. And He doesn't want to hide His will and ways from any of them, if they need to know it.

I'm one of those who actually believes that God speaks to them. But it's probably not in the way some of you might imagine. No, I don't hear audible voices in my room (though I'm not opposed to the possibility of this happening). God usually speaks to me through Scripture, through times of reflection and contemplation, and through other people. God often speaks to me in order to offer me some kind of direction and guidance for my life. This isn't an unusual concept especially when we look at what Scripture reveals. There are plenty of stories in the Bible of people who were given instructions and guidance by God. And sometimes it was done through supernatural means.

Though God can speak through spectacular and supernatural ways (dreams, visions, angels, etc.), I believe God more often speaks in the simple ways of Scripture reading or personal times of reflection and contemplation. I believe that God uses my intentional "thinking process" to lead me to where I should go. So, personal reflection and journaling are a major part of my spiritual practices. These days, I normally dedicate Sunday evenings to much reflection and journaling (which could last a couple of hours). As I think and reflect, God uses this time to solidify His truth in my heart and to have me consider different things to change or work on in my life. He also provides me with insights on what I should do regarding various situations or problems in my life.

A few Sundays ago, I was at a coffee shop engaging in reflection and journaling. As I was thinking, I felt God impress upon me to do something. The next day, my wife was going to take our two-year-old to the doctor for a checkup. I felt promoted by God to go with her (she normally takes our son by herself while I go to work). Lately, she had been dealing with a sore back. And so, bringing our son on her own could possibly be challenging for her. Because of God's prompting, I resolved to go with her and our son to the appointment. Although this decision seems like it should be intuitive for me, it's actually not. I often miss things like this. I needed a prompting from the Lord that was brought upon by intentional reflection to consider this decision. And God apparently knew so much more than I did. It turned out that she would need my help even more. A couple of hours before the appointment, my wife pulled a shoulder muscle, which would make it pretty much impossible to carry our son around. I obviously didn’t know this was going to happen. But God did. And He already wisely prompted me the day before to go with them to the appointment. This is the value of contemplation. Through my personal "thinking process," God prompts me to do things that I might otherwise overlook in my life.

Do you want to hear God speak to you? It may not necessarily be in spectacular and supernatural ways. It could be as simple as through your times of contemplation. Try taking some time to just sit there in God's presence to think and reflect. And see what the Lord will bring to your mind and heart for you to do.

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.