When was the last time you put away your phone, found some solitude, and sat down for twenty minutes of uninterrupted silence and stillness? Maybe you’ve had the best of intentions to start a spiritual practice that looks like this, and you just haven’t been able to lock it in. As summer comes to a close and we cross into the New School Year, it’s a great opportunity to start afresh with your intention to explore and start a regular practice of silent prayer.
What is Silent Prayer?
If you’re unfamiliar with silent prayer, it goes by many names: contemplative prayer, centering prayer, Christian meditation, hesychasm, silence and solitude. While each one of these names denotes a slight variation in how to approach silent prayer, the gist is this:
- Being instead of doing.
- Stillness instead of action.
- Silence instead of speaking.
- God’s mystery instead of God’s known character and attributes.
During silent prayer, we create time and space to quiet our external and internal selves. We practice silence and stillness. We desire to recognize God’s presence with us, and we are listening for him to speak. If you’re mostly familiar with how Protestant spiritual traditions pray, you are familiar with the many ways we are taught to bring our own voices, ideas, and requests to God. Settling into silence and stillness with the intention of simply being present to God’s presence might be uncomfortable, but this practice allows us to experience God in a new way.
Why Group Silent Prayer?
Certainly, silent prayer can be practiced alone and in solitude, but a group setting helps participants set aside dedicated time to this practice. Some of us need extra accountability! Once we complete our twenty minutes of silence, the group provides a place where we can share about 1) our experience of silent prayer and 2) what God brought to our attention.
Fall 2023 Silent Prayer Groups
I am offering two meeting options for fall silent prayer: in-person on Monday evenings or online on Friday mornings. Meetings are once a month. (I’d love to host these groups more often, but due to my school and family schedule, that’s just not possible. I hope that after graduation in 2024 I can host groups with more frequency!)
Monday Evenings
- Time – 7:00-8:30 PM
- Dates – 9/11, 10/2, 11/6, 12/4
- Location – My house in Springfield, Missouri
Friday Mornings
- Time – 10:30 AM-Noon
- Dates – 9/8, 10/6, 11/3, 12/1
- Location – Zoom
How to Join Me
Sign up for my Steadfast Center News & Events email list, which is how I’ll be communicating additional details (such as my address and Zoom link) and sending meeting reminders. I hope you are excited and gung-ho to join me (I’m excited to host you!), but I recognize that you might be in the exploring and considering phase of trying this spiritual practice. If you have questions, please feel free to email me directly at hello(at)sarahjoaustin.com.