In this post we will be unpacking how to engage the presence of God in a practical way through prayer. The particular type of prayer we will employ is called by many names depending on what stream of the church you come from. To some it’s called waiting on the Lord, prayer of quiet, meditation, tarrying, or the more modern version – soaking prayer. This kind of prayer is silent prayer. It’s not about prayer lists or spiritual warfare, rather this is receiving prayer. You simply quiet yourself, and by faith you allow the Holy Spirit to fill you up.

“Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalms 46:10)

Brother Lawrence was Carmelite Monk from the 1600’s who is best known for his letters that have been combined into a book called the Practice of the Presence of God. He provides insight into living a lifestyle of encounter with God, living continually aware of the divine presence within. His life is a great example of meditation-type prayer.

“I have abandoned all particular forms of devotion, all prayer techniques. My only prayer practice is attention. I carry on a habitual, silent, and secret conversation with God that fills me with overwhelming joy.” -Brother Lawrence

Through a simple attention to the Lords presence within him, he was able to continually drink from that river of glory within his inner-man. King David knew something of this principle and it shows in this verse from the Psalms, “I set the Lord always before me.” (Psalm 16:8) David’s mind was bent on thinking on the Lord moment by moment, the Lord had captured his thoughts and arrested his attention. In the same way when we have a single eye, and develop a sort of tunnel vision where Christ is the only one who we think of moment by moment, we can then tap into the inner-presence of the Spirit and live in and from that realm continually. This is the way to abide in God’s presence, rather than simply having an experience of His glory here and there, we can live, move, and have our being in Him. Instead of an occasional encounter we can live in an endless encounter moving from glory to glory as the bible promises.

To begin this kind of prayer we need to withdraw from our noisy environments and get alone with God. This removes the distractions that are always screaming for our attention. This may be your room, some woods near your house, or even your car. The location doesn’t matter, it’s the silence that’s important. The second thing is once you’re alone, you must learn to quiet your mind, letting go of every distracting thought. This may prove to be the most difficult part, because we are so used to activity that when we finally find ourselves alone and idle, our minds are still racing and bouncing from one subject to another. Perhaps the best way to calm the mind is not to fight each thought directly, but rather to divert your attention back to Christ. When you find your mind wandering try saying something like, “I love You Jesus,” or “You’re all I need,” this will cause you to once again refocus your mind on Christ. The brain follows the voice, so when you speak you can effectually lead and direct your thoughts. Simple phrases of praise or your neediness and desire to know Him will help your mind to stay focused on Him. Every time your mind strays, speak to Him, it will force your mind to once again return to attention.

Now as you are placing your mind on God, simply wait in faith and expectancy that His Spirit will begin to flow within you. We have an infinite supply of living waters resident within our inner-man. Fixing our attention within and pulling on His presence by faith will release those waters. Like drawing from a well, we can dip our bucket deep into the wells of glory within us and pull out the refreshing rivers of His presence.

For some it is helpful to engage your imagination by picturing that the Holy Spirit is filling you up. This may look like a spring bubbling up inside of you, or a light from heaven filling you from head to toe, or you can even imagine that you are sinking effortlessly into an ocean of His presence. The exact image is not important, any image that helps you focus on Christ and conveys your fellowship with Him is great. Using your imagination is just a helpful tool, when you see an image you can latch your faith unto it.

Music can also be a helpful tool, put on some soft worship music, instrumentals can sometimes be the better option because even lyrics can distract us of from giving our full attention to God’s presence. Music can help relax you and enable you to open your heart more fully to embrace His presence.

To sum up this kind of prayer:

1. Get alone.

2. Quiet your mind.

3. Place your attention fully on the Holy Spirit inside of you.

4. Wait silently with a faith-expectancy that His presence will begin to wash over you.

5. Try picturing the Holy Spirit filling you up.

6. Play soft worship or instrumental music in the background to help relax you and to open your heart to the Holy Spirit.

7. If you find your mind wandering use your words to redirect your thoughts back to Christ, use simple phrases of praise and your desire to know Him.

Challenge

Try it now, close your eyes and give your attention to Him in faith that His presence will manifest. Wait for a few minutes, see what you experience.

One extremely important key about waiting on the Lord in silence is not to wait twiddling your thumbs merely hoping something will happen. You must wait with expectation, a bold confidence that He WILL show up. Remember faith is not wishful thinking, it is to be thoroughly convinced that He will perform that which you ask. Faith is not God can, but God will. When you adopt this mindset that God WILL release His glory when you seek Him, you will see a dramatic increase in your experience of His presence. God responds to faith.

As you practice stilling your mind, you will find it easier and easier to enter into His presence. This is a most simple and yet profound way to encounter God. As we rest our souls in Him, the Holy Spirit will begin to push and guide us into the deeper places of God’s presence. As you deliberately focus on His presence within you, the Holy Spirit will increase His glory more and more until you’re overflowing.