Journey into Meditative Prayer
Richard Foster
Richard Foster has foraged the path into the spiritual disciplines. Each book he has produced has widened our knowledge and experience of “ancient paths of spirituality.” Here he delivers a smaller book on one type of prayer, meditative prayer. This has as its goal a deepening relationship with Jesus through prayer.
The author shares his experience the first time he heard about meditative prayer. He proceeds into Part One about learning to listen. Chapter 1 talks about God’s speaking, teaching, and acting. He traces out how God spoke to individuals and how Israel rejected getting to knowing God individually. God spoke through prophets.
Chapter 2 is about a familiar friendship with Jesus. God is the one who transforms the heart. We are a mess, and for God to dwell within us means He must transform our hearts. He gives the ways in which we are so we are transformed by God and how we take part in our transformation.
In chapter 3, Foster describes how to descend with the mind into the heart. We do this through a sacred imagination, borrowed from A. W. Tozer. He shares his experience as he spoke at a special Quaker event.
Part Two is concerned with stepping into meditative prayer. He gives you a process for practicing meditative prayer. Chapter 4 is about being present where we are. The first step of entering into meditative prayer is recollection. In recollection, we collect ourselves and get rid of all distractions outward and inward.
Chapter 5 tells you how to behold the Lord. The second step of meditative prayer is beholding the Lord. It is n-word, steady gaze by the Lord and being transfixed by what we see. He offers three ways to practice beholding the Lord.
In chapter 6, Foster discusses an inward attentiveness and refers to the final step of contemplative prayer, the prayer of listening. He discusses God’s voice and how people have heard God speak in the past.
Part Three talks about dealing with everyday difficulties in prayer. Chapter 7 is about wandering minds. He describes how our minds today have become so full of busyness and noise. He then gives guidance on how to focus our minds on Christ.
Chapter 8 describes Jesus, the roaring lion. He describes the realness of Satan and demons. We must be balanced in our approach of these matters. We cannot be overly interested in them or at the other extreme to ignore their existence. He gives direction on how to deal with demonic spirits as a Christian.
Chapter 9 is titled “A Potpourri of Questions.” He answers various questions about meditative prayer. Foster devotes the rest of the chapter to one of his personal experiences learning from nature as well as God’s Word. Lastly, the author gives an encouraging word for us to enter into the sanctuary of the soul, meditative prayer. This short book gave a framework for meditative prayer that I was unfamiliar with. I am thankful to Richard Foster for opening my mind to a form of prayer that can be useful. If you’re interested in Christian meditation or meditative prayer, also known as contemplative prayer, this is an easy read that will give you a framework for what it is and how to practice it.
