Are you struggling to accept the way things are? Are you disappointed by what could be or should be? Do you have a difficult time letting go?
Don’t worry…I think many of us struggle with these issues!
I have recently turned to contemplative prayer to help me let go of what I cannot control and invite God’s presence into the daily chaos of my life.
WHAT IS CONTEMPLATIVE PRAYER?
I think when we approach prayer, we usually come to God seeking, asking, and talking. And this is a good thing–the Bible repeatedly tells us to do this:
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
Philippians 4:6 (ESV)
But there is another aspect of prayer that we often overlook: the act of being still to draw close to God and hear his voice. In the Psalms, David speaks of the necessity of this kind of prayer:
Be still in the presence of the LORD, and wait patiently for him to act.
Psalm 37:7a (NLT)
Be still and know that I am God.
Psalm 46:10a (ESV)
Timothy Keller’s book, Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God, explains contemplative prayer in even more depth by referencing both Jonathan Edwards and Martin Luther:
Edwards described contemplation as times when we not only know God is holy but when we sense–“see” and “taste”–that he is so in our hearts. Luther described it as a time in which he finds himself getting “lost” in some aspect of God’s truth or character.
Timothy Keller, Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God, p.251
After studying the contemplative prayer practice, I noticed that I lacked this kind of thoughtful, quiet reflection in my daily prayer life. Yes, I was praying…offering my hopes and dreams, describing my fears and doubts, and pleading for grace and mercy, but I rarely took the time to be still and listen.
That was so very hard for me to do, so I searched for tools and resources that might help me.
If you have more questions/concerns about contemplative prayer, I suggest reading the article Questions and Concerns About Contemplative Prayer by Focus on the Family.
THE WELCOMING PRAYER
WHAT IS THE WELCOMING PRAYER?
Among many of the Bible verses, books, and quotations I found on contemplative prayer, The Welcoming Prayer (by Father Thomas Keating) is a simple tool that encouraged me to incorporate meditation, solitude, and reflection into my daily prayer life.
Tom Frontier gives this useful explanation of The Welcoming Prayer as well as a brief history:
The Welcoming Prayer is a method of consenting to God’s presence and action in our physical and emotional reactions to events and situations in daily life. The purpose of the Welcoming Prayer is to deepen our relationship with God through consenting in the ordinary activities of our day.
The history of the Welcoming Prayer is a little surprising. It’s not an ancient practice, though it’s an ancient idea. Mary Mrozowski of Brooklyn, New York — one of the first leaders of centering prayer — developed the method. She was inspired by Abandonment to Divine Providence, an early 18th century spiritual work by Jesuit priest and spiritual director, Father Jean Pierre de Caussade. Father Thomas Keating and others saw the value of her little method and over the years it has been supported, fine-tuned and expanded within the community of people who practice centering prayer and beyond.
Tom Frontier, The Welcoming Prayer by Father Thomas Keating
FREE WELCOMING PRAYER COLORING PAGE
HOW CAN THE WELCOMING PRAYER HELP US PRAY?
When I first read The Welcoming Prayer, I thought of the apostle Paul’s words on contentment:
…for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
Philippians 4:11-13 (ESV)
The Welcoming Prayer is about learning to accept everything that happens in our lives as part of God’s purpose and plan. We welcome all:
- thoughts
- feelings
- emotions
- people
- situations
- conditions
We know that by first inviting God’s presence into our hearts, minds, and souls, His Spirit gives us the grace and strength to handle ALL of it.
HOW DO I PRACTICE PRAYING THE WELCOMING PRAYER?
The Welcoming Prayer allows me to go through a simple three-step process to being still and listening for God’s voice. For those of you wanting to begin the practice of contemplative prayer, it is an easy way to start.
- Invite GOD’S PRESENCE
- Let go of YOUR PLANS
- Experience GOD’S PEACE
INVITE GOD’S PRESENCE
Start by finding a quiet, solitary place. Put away distractions like your phone or computer. Settle your soul by giving yourself a few minutes to tune out the world and invite God’s presence. No words are needed at this point.
But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private.
Matthew 6:6 (NLT)
LET GO OF YOUR PLANS
As mentioned earlier, The Welcoming Prayer begins by embracing all that is in your life or will come into your life that day. If it helps to name or list specific people, situations, worries, thoughts, or emotions, you can do this during this step. Journaling may be a helpful tool for some, but just speaking these words aloud is powerful too.
After “welcoming,” comes releasing or letting go. We cannot forget this crucial step! The prayer encourages you to:
- let go of power and control
- let go of the desire for affection, esteem, approval, and pleasure
- let go of wanting survival and security
- let go of trying to change or manipulate people or circumstances
And to whom do we release control? GOD. It is fascinating to note that when Jesus taught us to pray (the Lord’s Prayer), he began with this very concept:
Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
Matthew 6:6 (NLT)
EXPERIENCE GOD’S PEACE
We start by inviting God’s presence by being still and listening for God’s voice. Next, we welcome all that comes our way by releasing our plans and need for control. We accept everything as part of God’s will for our lives and rely on his strength, grace, and truth.
And the benefit of doing this? PEACE. The Bible teaches that peace is not the absence of conflict (remember we already decided to welcome that if it comes our way!), but rather the presence of God. Do you see now why it is so crucial that we begin with the first step of INVITING GOD’S PRESENCE?
Jesus reminds us why we can rely on the peace that he gives:
I’ve told you all this so that trusting me, you will be unshakable and assured, deeply at peace. In this godless world you will continue to experience difficulties. But take heart! I’ve conquered the world.
John 16:33 (MSG)
The Welcoming Prayer comes full circle by concluding with a reminder to open our hearts to God’s love, presence, and peace.
GET YOUR FREE PRINTABLE OF THE WELCOMING PRAYER
I would love to make The Welcoming Prayer available to you as you begin your journey towards contemplative prayer. I created a coloring page for you to download and print. Coloring was a unique way for me to slow down, pray the prayer, and listen to God’s voice. I hope you will find this resource helpful!
FREE WELCOMING PRAYER COLORING PAGE
MORE RESOURCES FOR GUIDED PRAYER
If you are looking for more resources to deepen your prayer life, please check out my FREE FAITH PRINTABLES page to find two other guides on prayer.
And if you desire to join a community where you can meet others for hope and encouragement on your faith journey, I would love to have you as a fellow traveler. Sign up by filling out the form below, and you will receive weekly blog posts, monthly newsletters, and access to over ten printables in my Faith Resource Library.
If this post spoke to you in any way, would you mind leaving a comment, sharing it on social media, or even letting a friend know? It would be encouraging to hear from others who are wanting to learn more about contemplative prayer.
This is so practical, Carla! I’m excited to make use of this welcoming prayer in my daily time with God. I too struggle to simply “be” and instead often go with a long list of requests. Thank you!
Thank you, friend! This is has been a great tool for me, so I hope it encourages you in your daily prayer time!
Yes! Another person who loves contemplative prayer! My Dad was the first one to fire up my joy in this practice. It has changed not only my prayer life, but my anxiety. To name and understand my thoughts and emotions and release them to Jesus has been so calming. Our small group Bible study (couples) did the Tim Keller book on Prayer, and it is excellent! A great resource… I signed up for your newsletter; excited to hear more from you!
Thank you so much for your encouragement, AnnMarie! Yes! The Welcoming Prayer has also been instrumental in helping me deal with fear, doubt, and uncertainty…especially during the chaos of this year! So grateful to connect with you here and excited to have you as a fellow traveler!
I only recently learned of the Welcoming Prayer, and it has been life changing for my prayer life. I’m going to print your coloring page and hang it up in my office for the reminder.
Huge Tim Keller fan over here! Can’t believe I haven’t read that book yet! Adding it to my reading list!
Yes, finding this prayer in the past few months has been so instrumental in helping me surrender to God and His will. Since I have control-freak tendencies (ha ha!), the chaos and uncertainty of this year have been such a challenge for me. Learning to let go and release everything to God has allowed me to experience his presence and peace in such a deep and real way. I hope you enjoy the coloring page! And definitely get Tim Keller’s book on prayer…so powerful!
Thank you for sharing this Carla! The Welcoming Prayer will be a helpful guide to assist me in listening to God more in prayer. I tend to power through my daily scripture readings, list of intercessions, and Bible study homework and sometimes never stop to be quiet to listen for God’s still small voice. I am looking forward to using in this in the upcoming Advent season!
I am so glad that this is helpful to you, Michelle! I can tend to either rush or get distracted, so this prayer has been instrumental in encouraging me to slow down and listen for God’s voice. Blessings to you and your family!
I’ve never heard of the welcoming prayer before. Thanks for bringing this to light, and sharing this post!
You are welcome, Meghan! I hope it encourages you!
I’ll be honest, there are a few lines in the welcoming prayer that are really hard for me. I don’t want to let go of my desire for survival and affection. I want to want those things. But I can also see that this prayer helps us to go deeper beyond the cares of this world into the arms of the Almighty who is so much bigger than all those things. Thank you for sharing this, I think it will be very helpful.
I totally agree, Lily! Although it looks simple, it is not always an easy prayer to pray. Surrendering everything to God is something I need to do daily. I hope this prayer helps you!
I really enjoyed this! Such a simple prayer but a great way to enter our day. I hear you on the struggle to sit still in God’s presence. Going to use this prayer as a guide to help me spend more time in contemplative prayer! Thanks for the download!
So glad you found this helpful, Collene, and will be able to incorporate into your prayer life. I know I need all the tools I can get to help me slow down and listen to God’s voice. Many blessings to you!
I love the idea of the welcoming prayer so will be practicing this, thanks for this encouraging post!
You are welcome, Ava! I hope that you can use this tool to help you practice contemplative prayer. I know it has made a difference for me!
Never heard of contemplative prayer before, but it sounds familiar to what I do while praying.
It isn’t so easy to let it go at times, but God has been helping me to embrace all that ever comes my way as his will for me.
I hope to practice more welcoming prayer.
I also struggle with letting go and surrendering everything to God, Victory. I think contemplative prayer is helping me be more intentional in doing this. I hope The Welcoming Prayer helps you too!
I’ve known about this type of prayer for some time, but I’m not good at consistently practicing it. Actually, not at all. I’m inspired to give it another try by using your suggestions for The Welcoming Prayer.
I am right there with you, Teresa! I think it is hard to be consistent with my prayer life in general. I am thankful that God is always there with love and patience, ready to speak to me when I make the time to welcome his presence.
Great concept here Carla, welcome God, let go and receive from Him. I will be trying this next.
I find this prayer to be so helpful when there are things in my life that I cannot control. I pray that it blesses you too, Betty!
I have never heard of the “welcoming prayer” so thank you for this very detailed description. I have learned the more I enter in His presence just to love and honor Him the more peace I feel. Prayer is a wonderful!
I really hope it encourages and blesses you, Mary! I agree with you that there is power in prayer!
What an interesting and insightful article! Thank you for this. I learned a lot!
You are welcome, Evangeline! I really hope it is an encouragement to your prayer life.
Beautiful, Carla. I printed off the Welcoming Prayer as I feel it is very soothing to do something artistic and pray and what a great resource. This is a very helpful post for drawing closer to God, something that all of us need.
I really hope it encourages and blesses you, Pam! I have found that it is a great way to calm my heart and draw closer to God.
Love this and will definitely be practicing this in my prayer life as well!! Thanks so much for such a great post!
Thank you, Kari! I really hope it is a tool that will help you in your prayer life.
I love the idea of a welcoming prayer. We need to invite God into our lives and every part of our thoughts and emotions. Usually my prayers are a list of things that I’m asking God to help me with or provide but inviting Him in and welcoming Him into my life is beautiful.
I completely agree, Karen. It was becoming so easy for me to come to God in prayer with all my requests and concerns (which is still a good thing!), but the Welcoming Prayer helped me take the time to sit in His presence and listen to His voice.
I hadn’t heard of the welcoming prayer before. I love what you said about coming into God’s presence, letting go of my plans and gaining God’s peace. I will use this welcoming prayer in my devotional time this week. Thank you!
Thanks for reaching out, Karen! I really hope it is a tool you can use to get closer to God in your daily prayer life.
Thank you so much for this wonderful article! I had never thought of a Welcome Prayer! Thank you so much for sharing! God bless you always!
Blessings to you too, Sheryl! I sincerely hope that this prayer encourages you and brings you closer to God.
The way you’ve described the welcoming prayer is so powerful! You described your prayer life at times as, “offering my hopes and dreams, describing my fears and doubts, and pleading for grace and mercy, but I rarely took the time to be still and listen.” I, too, need to grow in this area, and the welcoming prayer seems like a great way to do that.
I am so glad that you can relate, Erin. I have found that this prayer helps me slow down, invite God’s presence, and wait to hear His voice. I hope it does the same for you!
I love how the welcome prayer opens our hearts to God inviting him in and your color pages are a great way to focus on God.
I agree, Heather! I hope this prayer and the coloring page encourage you in your prayer life.