Simple Exchange
Meditation and prayer can be an opportunity to make a simple exchange. We allow (not push) our false selves and our resistance to our false selves out, and God in. We allow our Heavenly Father to heal our doubting, self importance, panic and agenda simply by being present to the ultimate reality of God.
We maintain this awareness of and presence to Him, to the point that who He is begins to merge with and reshape our substance. In this we begin to experience the birth of what some call a “divine nature.”
The following steps can be a helpful guide in merging a simple exchange where in a sense you exchange yourself with God.
1) Become aware of your immediate surroundings. Put your attention and awareness in your seat, the weight of your body on your seat, or if your walking, the ground, the walls, the furniture, the air, sounds, smells, surrounding trees etc.
2) Expand your awareness out to your surrounding location or even the entire community your are currently in. This is not something done through efforting. It is simply an expanding awareness.
3) Expand your awareness into the substance of God, being personal and infinitely loving, He is also everywhere, with each of us, in everything, at all times. Simply expand your awareness to this - to Him.
4) Allow resistance harbored in your mind, in your heart and in your spirit to gracefully, without any effort on your part, flow out and from you- through the front of your body; judgement, agenda, fear, self pressure, “I’m not good enough”, self-importance, grudges, discouragement, and spiritual darkness. etc.
By allowing this substance to loosen itself and begin to flow from you, you are at the same time in zero judgement of any of it. You are simply aware of the flow.
Much of what flows from you does not have or need description.
3) Continue to allow this substance of resistance (named or unnamed) to move from your spirit and body anywhere from the front of you out.
Do not try to push this substance out. Simply allow an infinite opening in front of you that darkness naturally flows into. Perhaps think of it like a pure mist of water that discharges everything as it enters.
4) At the same time, notice, because of what’s being gently released, the spirit of God gradually replacing darkness and false versions of you. Allow the darkness out. Allow the light in, at the same time.
5) Allow both processes to run at the same time, on their own. It’s kind of like siphoning - once the flow begins it just kind of goes on it’s own.
6) With this dual process in the background you are in a quiet place, where communication with God becomes less strained, more natural. Pray as inspired.
Prayer is a direct communication with God – a praise or thanks, a plea, a petition and often just a conversation- sharing feelings and being comforted in the presence of the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:16)
Here’s the kicker: When meditating and praying, each time you go back to thinking vs. simply being present, in a sense, you wander away from God, for He is in the present and nowhere else.
Trying to continue in your prayer once you’ve left the present (through thinking) is like screaming to God from another room or from outside the building. Doesn’t work out that well.
The secret is, go back to His room (the present) and then continue your communication- your gratitude, your worship, your desire for His direction, strength and grace- your communion.
In the above, meditation and prayer seem to augment each other. This is all merely for your consideration. Of course, everyone must approach meditation and prayer as personally inspired.
"My Prayer" (below) by Tim Rice. The expression "Simple Exchange" originates in this song.