Praying When We're Tired
Friends,
I’ve been battling some exhaustion. Here are some thoughts on contemplative practice for when we’re tired.
Pray anyway but be relaxed about it. This week I fell asleep a couple of times in my meditation-prayer sits and welcomed the chance for my body to relax and doze off. I also tried lying down for the duration of a prayer sit. I put one hand on my heart and one on my belly and simply breathed and rested. Another “prayer pose” I take sometimes when I’m weary is to set my meditation timer and cuddle up with my dog Snickers. Such postures of rest restore.
Remember that prayer is about receiving and not doing. Oddly enough, even when I’m tired, I still find myself thinking of prayer as something I need to “do.” But in reality the only doing that takes place is the intention to be. I sit cross legged at 6am before the kids wake up and I let God love me. Of course, God is always loving me, you, and the universe, too, but the set-apart time to experience the divine and loving presence is for the sake of allowing it. In my twenties, I spent time with a charismatic Christian church where one leader encouraged the music to play on after verses and choruses. As the music continued, he exhorted worship participants to “soak” in the presence of God. My theology has changed since that time but I still love the verb. It reminds me of a hot tub. Prayer is just sitting there soaking, letting be.
Photo by Amaury Gutierrez on Unsplash
Find small pockets of prayer. Sometimes the day flies by and I’ll find myself dismayed to discover that the time for a prayer sit has passed. Some days I can only manage five minutes of “stolen” silence in the space between a kid drop-off and the next thing. It’s never as good as the longer, more luxurious “soaks,” but visiting God and my deepest self for even a brief break still centers my heart more than when I don’t. Just several minutes in the car talking with God about the ups and downs of my day and resting in receptive silence helps me stay connected to the Larger Life.
Pray the Jesus Prayer. The pilgrim in the famous Russian mystical text The Way of a Pilgrim hears a sermon on Paul’s verse in Thessalonians that enjoins hearers to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). The pilgrim does not understand how such a thing could be possible, and sets out on a quest to discover how this mystery could be practiced. During his quest, an elder mystic teacher instructs the pilgrim to pray the Jesus Prayer. This simple prayer, “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me,” is intended to be a repetitive prayer in the heart that we can do throughout the day. Whether we’re making coffee, taking out the garbage, or driving, and whether we’re groggy, energized, or have an illness, the Jesus Prayer is there for us as a resource to cultivate inner attention at all times.
I’d love to hear from you. What do you do in the day to keep your heart and mind returning to the loving, divine presence, especially when you’re tired?
It is so hard to be a contemplative while raising children. Perhaps being an attentive father is also a way you pray. Thanks for the soaking prayer image.
When I'm especially tired, I try to go for a walk and be in the silence. Or sing praise songs in the car during my long commute. Also, I am a big believer of praying while in the bathtub, so you're soaking metaphor had me laughing!