The Phenomenology of Prayer - Post 1

The author of The Phenomenology of Prayer states a few things that can be learned from Samuel's prayer in the Prayer as the Posture of the Decentered Self. Some of these things that I usually do not think about, and might not do when I pray might include prioritizing God's divine speech and that silence is a critical part of prayer. So often when I pray, I often focus on my praise of God and my needs, that I do not take the time to listen. This goes hand in hand with the other, with silence being a critical part of prayer. The author states that "We cannot listen very well to the voice of God if we are chattering ourselves or even merely keep ourselves surrounded by noise." This silence is not just an external thing, but also internal. We should clear our minds from what we normally think about and focus instead on God. I hope to move toward incorporating this into my prayer in a pursuit to become closer to God.

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