The Prayer of Rest

The Concept

The Prayer of Rest is willingly entering into the eye of the storm, so all distraction around you is pushed to the periphery. It is finding serenity, stability, focus, and unhurried peace in the presence of God, no matter your current circumstances.

Church fathers talk of this prayer as Otium Sanctum or "Holy Leisure." It is a time of refreshing, a shabbat shalom. This rest is not an absence of activity, but rather a rest that is a waiting on the Lord, allowing him to be in charge while we work to hear his voice. For, as François Fenelon wrote about God's voice, "We must silence ourselves ... because it is a gentle and delicate voice, only heard by those who no longer hear anything else."

Foster gives 3 classical practices that lead to the Prayer of Rest:

1. Solitude: an integral component to a Christian life, as exemplified by Jesus (Mk 1:35). Retreating away from other people and other things is needed to "burst open the shell of our superficial securities."
2. Silencio: in this context, it is not auditory silence, but the stilling of every motion not rooted in God. It is stripping away nonessentials and becoming centered in the stark reality of the Kingdom of God. (Mark 13:31)
   
3. Recollection: meant here to be an intentioned and submitted examination on one's purpose and direction in life. (Gal 6:4)

The Experience

This prayer was especially therapeutic for me. I am still not sure whether it is my perception that has changed or my reality, but I find myself less stressed about getting things done and having more time to sit and enjoy this life. The things that used to claim my concerns and anxiety seem less important and less weighty, and I'm hungry to know what in my life God sees as of consequence.

Surprisingly, The Prayer of Rest helped me understand the Prayer of the Forsaken. I prayed through the steps of solitiude, silencio, and recollection, and I asked for the removal of all distractions, as I named them specifically one by one. I named concerns and responsibilities and hurts and material desires and even doctrinal questions. As these things were released, I found myself clinging to what was left at the core - an ineffable bastion, built on the solid rock, rooted and established in love, that is only knowing and being known by God. This prayer of rest - of discarding dross - became a prayer of the forsaken as I plead for an inner relationship substantial enough to grasp onto while everything else was carried to sea.

Another surprising result of the Prayer of Rest was how it has informed my intercessory prayers. As I prayed for others this week, this exercise reminded me to strip down the perspectives that were not from God but from my own understanding. I let go my own opinions and expectations, my own desires and resentments, because all that I can confidently take into his presence is my love for these others and my trust and dependence on Christ's mercies and wisdom.

Contrary to its title, I found the Prayer of Rest to be quite lively. There has been growth: an increase of peace, an increase of purpose, an increase of understanding, an increase of faith, and an increase of love.