“I don’t believe that there has been the beginning of a discovery that has been more important than this: True prayer takes place in the heart, not in the head. When I am praying I move from my head, where my knowledge of God resides, down into my heart, where my spirit meets God.” – Fil Anderson
Some days we find ourselves weary and dry. We look in the mirror and see the same face, the same bulging waistline, and the overwhelming list of dos and don’ts. We hear a voice inside speaking of the entitlement of a better experience, tempered with the misgivings of self-consciousness, mixed with longing for reason and fulfillment. We long for the cattle prod of excitement or new experience to jump start a “next stage” of life in the rut of days and nights of monotony. It is in these moments where we come face to face with our self-managed efforts to attain what only the mysterious God of the Ages can provide. This is the essence of our search for purpose and satisfaction; a purpose which transcends the menial and a satisfaction that elevates our spirits to restoration of heart and mind. So many of us spend our time searching inside our own heads and hearts for such things and find ourselves frustratedly faced with our own inconsistency and fleeting desires. Turning that focus to the Rock who is higher than we are, is the only foundation which will restore our purpose and satisfaction and make whole our hearts and minds.
The difficulty with these moments in our daily lives is due to our own self-trapping ability to desiring to figure it all out in our head and then bring it to God. We over analyze, we over internalize, we doubt ourselves, we blame and denigrate ourselves; at times our pride elevates our heads to aloof entitlement, or we play the victim and revel in guilt and anger. The reality of so many of these moments is that we are focusing on ourselves instead of the Almighty. We carry our burdens to our own heads and then to God and find an ocean of dissatisfaction, leading us to design our own road to a light at the end of the tunnel. Fortunately for us, though we may plan our course within our hearts, the Lord determines our steps. The mysterious God of the Ages who has promised to care for his children, will be faithful to restore us, provide for us, forgive us, receive us and sustain us.
In the battle of the daily life we must seek Him for the fulfillment of his promises. We must relinquish our heads to the heart of our interaction with Him. As no mind has conceived what He has prepared for those who love Him; we must move into our hearts – which have the intimate touch of the Savior. Our prayers resonate his response to our hearts in calming and reassuring us of our place in Him. It is here where we hear the words of lasting purpose and satisfaction. It is here where we hear his gentle words speaking to us, “You belong to me and no one can snatch you from my hand. I have changed your name. You will no longer be called ashamed, abandoned, guilt-ridden, lonely or much afraid. Your new name is child of mine, broken and beloved, playful one and joy of my heart.”
In response to Him, we know the fulfillment of our safety in Him. In response to Him, our spirit meets God’s and we know the joy of his heart to be that interaction. When we are struggling with stagnancy, frustration, impotency or confusion: settle down into the heart and spirit of the Father. As He speaks to our hearts, we draw closer to Him and the peace of his presence. Our head’s focus moves down into our heart, which transitions our hearts from ourselves to Him. In Him we find the true joy of our hearts as we draw near. In Him we are secure. In Him we are sustained. In Him are the purpose and satisfaction which we could never find in ourselves. The mysterious God of the Ages, who transcends time and space, is calling our hearts to commune with his Spirit that we might be restored in Him.
Great entry josh. I like the theory of this. But practically, what can one do to move the prayer from their head to their heart
I think part of the transfer from head to heart is accessed in the discipline of silence or repetitive meditation on phrases about God’s nearness to our hearts or verses He puts on our hearts. A simple phrase to use is, “Jesus, I belong to you.” Rhythmically it has 7 syllables and coincides with breathing in and out. It works quite nicely for this discipline. Repeating the truth about who we are as belonging to Christ, replaces our other associations or momentary distractions by hurtful words or infractions upon our self-conception which might persuade us to forget the essence of our being.
Another part of head to heart movement in prayer would be prayer directed toward the Holy Spirit. He is the advocate on our behalf to the Father. Praying directly to the Holy Spirit immerses one into one’s own spirit of connection and communication. Less is said and more is felt; it is a place where we speak and are spoken to in a spirit orientation. It is a place where we can connect to the burning in our hearts to that which God gave us for our sustenance. The Holy Spirit is alive within us, listening to our hearts and speaking to us in our moments of confusion, need, praise or thanksgiving.