How do you enter into sacred space?
Barge right in?
Loudly bang on the door, demanding your right to cross the threshold?
Abruptly sit down, run down your list of prayers, then check this action off your to-do list?
Sounds horrible, doesn’t it? Not very honorable of God. Yet lately I have become aware of my first moments as I move into my time with God.
Rushed.
Pressured.
Too much hustle and not enough holy.
This year I am exploring and pondering sacred space – internal and external. You can read about my theme for the year here.
What I Learned During my Online Retreat
I experienced God in a new way a few weeks ago when I participated in Becky Eldredge’s Busy Person’s Online Retreat. I spent longer morning time in prayer, Bible reading, and journaling and finished each afternoon on Zoom with a spiritual director.
One of the best lessons I learned was how I entered into sacred space of prayer and journaling impacted how I heard God and felt his presence. When I rushed into my time of prayer, I swam in shallow waters. Deep floating and refreshing waves of love swept me to new levels when I entered slowly, humbly, and reverently.
This reminded me of a nearby lake’s New Year’s Eve Polar Plunge. Every December 31, dozens of bathing suit cladded folks run into the icy waters, jump around frantically, then shivering and shaking race to the shore, dry towels and the heat of their waiting cars. Fun to watch but also raises my anxiety level just observing this annual scene either live or on the news.
I often enter prayer with a polar plunge mentality instead of a pure pause of piety.
My 10 “S”s of Entering into Sacred Space
Here are the steps I took that hallowed my gently entering into my time with God:
- Stop – I paused, bowed before my Lord Savior and beheld the majesty of this unconditional love and who God really is.
- Scent/Spirit – I lit a candle, radiating a glow in the room and my heart – its flame representing the Spirit of God.
- Sound – Often I hummed or sang a couple of verses of a hymn. Just the act of humming, slowed me down.
- Silence – I set the Centering Prayer app on my phone for 15-20 minutes of silence.
- Scripture – I read certain Bible verses, either ones suggested by the spiritual director or others that resonated with me. The week of the online retreat Psalm 16:8 became and still is my breath prayer. “I keep my eyes always on the Lord.”
- Speak/Listen – I prayed for people that came into my mind, asked God for discernment for some concerns and then listened for his response.
- Stillness/silence – Often we just sat together, enjoying each other’s company in silence. At this point becoming still is much easier since I entered with more intention and less rush.
- Script – I journaled my experience. Several times I used the dialog prayer method explained in this post.
- Surrender – I held my palms upward with all my prayers and gave them into God’s hands.
- Savor – I smiled. God smiled. We savored the moment.
Do you sense the slowness, the sacredness, the specialness? I felt so blessed by God that week and realized when I practiced these 10 S’s, space for God in my heart opened wider and deeper.
Have you ever considered HOW you begin your time of prayer? What helps you quiet and come to God?
I love these 10 S’s. I could practice them at home myself. I haven’t been able to get to our retreat center in a couple of years and I miss it, but I could still do this. Thanks, Jean!
Thanks Lisa. It really helped me to categorize my experience this way – easier to remember and to put into practice.
Beautiful! Thanks for the reminder to prepare our hearts as we enter sacred space.
Thanks for commenting Peggi.
Though I often used ACTS (Adoration & praise, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication) to guide me into prayer, I too tend to hurry in. With Martha above I say: “You’ve inspired me to do better!” I’m going to make a copy of the 10 S’s and give them a try. Thank you, Jean!
Good reminder, Nancy about ACTS. Adoration would slow me down – too often I race into the supplications. Let’s keep encouraging each other in prayer!
Sometimes when I sit down to pray and enter in communion with God initially I find the words but after a while it’s like I can speak and I struggled with this. Your words made me think a lot because if I am in a sacred place with God I do not need to speak he knows me he knows my thoughts and I need not speak just rest in his presence. God bless you for this.
Oh, just being with God in silence is so wonderful, isn’t it? It does take me awhile to enter into the silence – to drop the internal chattering and to bow down to truly worship our Lord and Kind. Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment, Clayton!
I needed this today as I am preparing myself for Lent, as I normally just jump in and don’t set my table in my sacred space! I have been thinking more about my sacred/secret place to meet God since Pastor has been preaching about the importance of this for a few weeks!
I can see how the 10 S will help me to ground myself and I look forward to try this and see how it will affect my sacred space/secret space with God! Thank you for sharing this with us!
I look forward to your posts and the perspective you bring!
It was quite a lesson for me, Denise and humbling to realize how rushed to do behave in prayer. Glad the 10 S helped you too – i know it helped me gather my thoughts and hopefully will slow me down when entering my time with God . blessings!!
“Too much hustle and not enough holy.” Wow, Jean, these words really hit me hard. I am not taking the time to really slow down when I enter into my time with God, and your post here reminded me of just what I’m missing. You’ve inspired me to do better!
Blessings!
Those words just tumbled from my fingers – after I wrote them I thougth where did those come from? LOL WE both know, don’t we? Blessings on you too,