Prayer: Being With God | Luke 10:38-42
This message was preached at Sherwood Community Friends Church on Sunday, August 10, 2025. You can watch the video in full by clicking below. This is an adaptation from the 4-week Prayer series from Practicing the Way.
Why Contemplative Prayer?
Why engage in this contemplative prayer? Why is this worth practicing?
The reality is that we become like what we gaze upon.
A few years ago, like many people, we would watch A LOT of home makeover shows. Now, there’s nothing inherently wrong with these shows! In fact, they can be fun, helpful and inspiring.
But what I noticed inside of me was a growing discontent with my surroundings. My home just wasn’t polished or accented enough. I became dissatisfied.
People who consume angry news become angry. Scrolling social media leads to becoming anxious. Those watching impure media become lustful. Those who constantly keep their eyes on their bank accounts can slip into greed.
It’s no secret that we become what we contemplate on, think on, focus on.
So, if we want to become like Jesus, then we must look at Jesus. Contemplative prayer is central to spiritual formation-becoming people of love in Christ.
2 Corinthians 3:18 CSB We all, with unveiled faces, are looking as in a mirror at the glory of the Lord and are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory; this is from the Lord who is the Spirit.
Paul’s word “transformed” is “metamorphoō” in Greek, like a caterpillar becoming a butterfly. This transformation happens through contemplating God’s glory.
We do this through Scripture, especially the Gospels, and through contemplative prayer. God designed our brains with mirror neurons to mimic what we behold. When someone smiles, we smile back; when they glare, we flinch or glare. The Psalmist says it so well:
Psalm 34:5 CSB Those who look to him are radiant with joy; their faces will never be ashamed.
As we gaze at God’s beauty, we become more beautiful.
Over the last three sessions, we’ve covered three stages of prayer: talking to God, talking with God, and listening to God. Now we come to the final stage: being with God.
These are not “stages” in that you mature beyond one.
You never outgrow asking God for help or using pre-written prayers or expressing gratitude. But the farther we progress in prayer—our life with God—the more we grow to love him.
We desire to talk with him, listen to him, and, even more, just be with him in love.
Eventually, we enter this place when prayer becomes less about doing or saying anything specific and more about abiding in love.
Jn 15:9 “As the Father has loved me, I have also loved you. Remain in my love.” CSB
There is a place for seeking answers from God. But mature prayer, that leveled-up place of prayer desires deeper union with Christ, not just answers from him. This is the place when we desire to simply be in God’s presence out of love and awe. The place that no other can compete with.
Ps 27:4 “I have asked one thing from the Lord; it is what I desire: to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, gazing on the beauty of the Lord and seeking him in his temple.” CSB
Last week, Robert mentioned Mary and her choice to sit at the feet of Jesus instead of helping her sister Martha in the kitchen. Let’s read the full account in Luke 10:38-42:
38 While they were traveling, he entered a village, and a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. 39 She had a sister named Mary, who also sat at the Lord’s feet and was listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by her many tasks, and she came up and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to serve alone? So tell her to give me a hand.”, 41 The Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but one thing is necessary., Mary has made the right choice, and it will not be taken away from her.” CSB
Now, I often think that Martha gets a bit of a bad rap in the retelling of this story and I want to point out that she’s on the right track! Martha created space for Jesus. She opened up her home, not only for him but for those who followed him. Those who wanted to hear him teach.
So where did she go wrong?
Martha found herself caught up in the dizzying tasks of being a good host. She forgot that she created space for Jesus so she could enjoy him too! And she didn’t just keep these concerns to herself. No, instead she pulled in the guest of honor to say, “LORD! Don’t you care?”
Martha has a lesson to learn. And I think we do too.
Intimacy in Presence
In relationships, intimacy is gauged by comfort in silent togetherness. In fact, the closer one finds themselves in a relationship, the more we know them, their next moves, what will bring them into a state of calm or stress. We know their favorite smells, sounds, and sights and we seek to bring pleasure in our limited capacity.
This is not so far off from intimacy with the Father. God shares his heart and secrets with those in close relationship with him. In fact, the Bible says repeatedly that he will reveal himself to those who draw near to him.
Psalm 25:14: The secret counsel of the Lord is for those who fear him, and he reveals his covenant to them. CSB
John 15:15: I do not call you servants anymore, because a servant doesn’t know what his master, is doing. I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have heard from my Father. CSB
Romans 12:1-2: Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God. CSB
Early relationships are full of words and activity, which is good! We need those exchanges of words and actions to get to know the other in a new relationship.
But as you grow closer, you find that you enjoy the silent presence of the other. Sure, there are still words exchanged, adventures taken on, and tasks tackled together. But, similar to a deep relationship, like a marriage, wordless intimacy reflects our union with God at its most deep level.
Understanding Contemplative Prayer
So Martha is in the kitchen, busying herself into a tizzy. But where is Mary?
Verse 9: She [Martha] had a sister named Mary, who also sat at the Lord’s feet and was listening to what he said.
Mary was engaged in contemplative attentiveness instead of activity. She is more interested in learning at the feet of Jesus than checking off her list of hostess responsibilities.
Again, it’s not that what Martha was doing was wrong! But she was missing the whole point of holding space for Jesus.
And Jesus himself is the ultimate example! During his ministry, there was a never-ending stream of people to heal and set free. Does he go go go non-stop? NO!
Luke 5:15-16: 15 But the news about him spread even more, and large crowds would come together to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. 16 Yet he often withdrew to deserted places and prayed. CSB
Jesus himself broke away from the eternal need to do more and be more to be with his Father in prayer.
Now, contemplative prayer varies across church history and traditions. It has three basic distinctives: beholding God, yielding to God, and resting with God.
Beholding God
First, when we enter into contemplative prayer, we are seeking to behold the glory of God.
I referenced the image of marriage earlier, so let’s lean into that analogy here. Think of the image when the groom is standing at the altar, and then the doors swing open, displaying the bride in the peak of beauty. And the bride and groom lock eyes. They are gazing upon each other, but with more than their eyes. They are gazing upon each other with their hearts. There is a communication that is happening between the two of them in that moment that anyone among the spectators can feel. It’s palpable.
This is the image to hold onto as we consider what it means to behold the glory of God. We as the church are the bride of Christ. A part of our preparation for the day he will return is to focus on the Lord’s glory above our own, so that when we are finally reunited with him, it will make every other wedding celebration a dull moment in history by comparison.
I read this passage earlier but will again.
2 Cor 3:18 We all, with unveiled faces, are looking as in a mirror at, the glory of the Lord and are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory; this is from the Lord who is the Spirit. CSB
We have this deep longing and love for God that deepens with intimacy and time. And the more time we sit, unveiled in the presence of the Father gazing upon his glory, we are transformed-“metamorphoō”
The Psalmist puts words to this desperation in his soul for God’s presence in Psalm 63, starting in 1.
“God, you are my God; I eagerly seek you. I thirst for you; my body faints for you in a land that is dry, desolate, and without water. 2 So I gaze on you in the sanctuary to see your strength and your glory. 3 My lips will glorify you because your faithful love is better than life.” CSB
God’s glory isn’t fame or awards or accolades. It’s simply His presence and beauty and power. To contemplate God’s glory is to gaze at his beauty, goodness, and love pouring toward you. This is the essence of our faith.
A.W. Tozer said, “Faith is not a once-done act, but a continuous gaze of the heart at the Triune God. Believing, then, is directing the heart’s attention to Jesus. It is lifting the mind to ‘behold the Lamb of God,’ and never ceasing that beholding for the rest of our lives. At first this may be difficult, but it becomes easier as we look steadily at His wondrous Person, quietly and without strain.”
We behold God’s glory.
Yield to God’s Love
Contemplative prayer also involves yielding to God’s love.
In petition and intercession, we labor to change what is, which is necessary. But in contemplative prayer, we labor to accept what is.
In the second week in our series, we talked about Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. Matthew 26:39
39 Going a little farther, he fell facedown and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” CSB
Jesus asked the Father for another way. But he yielded to the way of the Father because that led to love available for all. I see Jesus’ surrender as the as the ultimate embodiment of what he taught us in the Lord’s prayer.
Matthew 6:10 “Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” CSB
Yielding is seeking God’s will, not just our desires. And while Jesus is our ultimate example, this response to yield in hard times to the way of the Father when we simply don’t understand is a common thread throughout scripture.
Paul pleaded with the Lord to remove the thorn from his flesh, what he describes as a “messenger of Satan to torment me.” Here is his resolve.
2 Cor 12:8-9 “Concerning this, I pleaded with the Lord three times that it would leave me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness.” CSB
Paul’s prayer shifts from pleading to acceptance and power in his human weakness.
Or how about Job, the man who had everything taken from him, who maintains a raw but yielded heart posture in his grief.
Job 1:21 “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will leave this life., The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.” CSB
What will our position be when the promise of provision seems absolutely hopeless? I hope I will respond as the prophet Habakkuk, choosing to trust and yield to the Father when nothing looks promising.
Habakkuk 3:17–19 “Though the fig tree does not bud and there is no fruit on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though the flocks disappear from the pen and there are no herds in the stalls, 18 yet I will celebrate in the Lord; I will rejoice in the God of my salvation! 19 The Lord my Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like those of a deer and enables me to walk on mountain heights!” CSB
By the way, if that last verse sounds familiar, it’s the key verse for the book Hinds Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard and is a deeply impactful allegory of these deeper places of trust, yielding, and intimacy.
Yielding to God is not passive resignation or fatalism, but actively turning our whole being to God, which then allows God’s presence, purpose, and power to flow through us.
It’s saying, “God, here I am, I’m yours,” not as submission, but as a surrender to love.
We behold God. We yield to God’s love.
Resting in God’s Love
Third, contemplative prayer feels less like work and more like rest, a portable Sabbath.
Orthodox Jews forbid intercessory prayer on the Sabbath, as asking feels like labor, but contemplative prayer is God working in us.
The place of rest is the medium to experience Christ’s love and rule in our lives at its fullest expression.
How can we embrace this rest in between Sabbaths? We stand on some truths God gives to us.
Resting comes from knowing your identity is rooted in love.
1 John 3:1 “See what great love the Father has given us that we should be called God’s children—and we are!” CSB
Resting means relying on His love as a safe dwelling place.
Psalm 91:1-2 “The one who lives under the protection of the Most High dwells in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say concerning the Lord, who is my refuge and my fortress: My God in whom I trust” CSB
God leads us into rhythms of rest because he loves us.
Psalm 23:1-2 “The LORD is my shepherd; I have what I need. 2 He lets me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside quiet waters.” CSB
When we become a yielded soul at rest, we no longer strive or demand our way or our glory.
Psalm 131:1-3 “Lord, my heart is not proud; my eyes are not haughty. I do not get involved with things too great or too wondrous for me. 2 Instead, I have calmed and quieted my soul like a weaned child with its mother; my soul is like a weaned child. 3 Israel, put your hope in the Lord, both now and forever.” CSB
In our performance-driven world, where chronic fatigue is common, resting in God’s love is our lifeline. We receive our identity as beloved sons and daughters, offering love back in worship.
Challenges of Contemplative Prayer
Contemplative prayer isn’t just for monks, nuns, or introverts—anyone can and should practice it.
In fact, my challenge to you this week is to enter into contemplative prayer-just being with God. Set a timer for a few minutes. It could be 2 minutes, 5 minutes, 10 or more. Set your phone aside and just be with God. Behold his glory. Yield to him. Rest in his love.
But I’ll be honest. It’s hard. You’ll face three challenges as you embark on this: distraction, hurry, and fear.
Overcoming Distraction
When you sit in loving attention to God, your mind jumps: grocery lists, conversations, regrets, and your to-do list for the day. This doesn’t mean you’re bad at prayer—it means you’re human. The mind is naturally distractible, but with practice, it can be calmed.
Keep a note pad and pen nearby to jot down those items that come to mind that will need your attention
Curate your space (nook) to be free of clutter if you can that becomes your space to meet with God.
Confronting Hurry
To pray contemplatively, you need a contemplative lifestyle, slowing to a prayerful pace. Dallas Willard said, “You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life.” Hurry reveals our impatience and boredom. The main thing we “get” from prayer isn’t outcomes, but God himself.
Make a date in your calendar or hold space in your calendar
Find the block of time that works for you - it might not be first thing in the morning!
Be honest with yourself about your task list. What needs to come off?
Facing Fear
In quiet prayer, everything within us surfaces: desire for God, lack of desire, love, hate, anxiety, envy, anger. We often use distraction, work, or entertainment to avoid pain. Contemplative prayer creates space for pain to emerge healthily, offered to God for healing. This is scary, but persistence leads to surrender, freedom, and peace. People who pray contemplatively over time become calm and happy.
Pay attention to the discomfort you feel in the quiet.
Ask God about the discomfort. Ask him to help you name it.
Surrender that discomfort to him. If he’s uncovering something to heal, let him heal it. If he’s uncovering something for you to turn from, then turn from it. Stay in the space until the work is done.
Conclusion
When Martha went to Jesus, nudging him to be her advocate to get her sister to do more, how did Jesus respond?
41 The Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but one thing is necessary., Mary has made the right choice, and it will not be taken away from her.”
In this story, we see that it’s Mary’s contemplative attention and her insistence that this is her place-gleaning wisdom and teaching from her Rabbi, her Lord. This is who we recognize we are to emulate, not the task-oriented Martha.
As we conclude this 4-week series on prayer, I think it’s important to point out that prayer is our greatest witness to the world around us.
1 Cor 4:1-2, 20: “A person should think of us in this way: as servants of Christ and managers of the mysteries of God. 2 In this regard, it is required that managers be found faithful. 20 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.” CSB
Prayer is when we encounter the most deep and profound mysteries of God. We experience an unveiling and then we are responsible for stewarding those mysteries of God. This is the space where we move from talk into the power of God. Power that changes lives.
The end goal, as Paul puts it, is to “pray without ceasing.” We know that Jesus is with us always, as promised in Matthew 28:20, but we get to choose how deep we enter into that place of knowing him. Can you imagine a more compelling, beautiful, and powerful life than that of gazing upon the Father? But he won’t force himself on you. It’s your choice how deep you go.
I will close today with reading Ephesians 3:16-19, after which we will sit and just be in God’s presence until we close with our final song.
“I pray that he may grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with power in your inner being through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love, and to know Christ’s love that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” CSB
