Silent Prayer

In 2013, I began to dabble in silent prayer, a term that’s often used as synonymous with centering prayer. I had heard and read that silence can transform you. I wanted to experience this transformation too.

I would force myself to sit in silence. I began to test how long I could sit there. I started with one minute and increased it to three and even four minutes. It was difficult!

Silence and silent prayer are counter-cultural. They are very challenging to cultivate because everything in our culture seems to point in another direction. Yet, surprisingly, it is in silence that I have found profound transformation. And that is the motivation for writing this book. I want to share what I have discovered. The point of this book is to share my centering-prayer sojourn with you. My hope is that my journey will help you with your journey.

Centering prayer is not a race. It is a long-term marathon. Centering prayer practiced daily, monthly, yearly will transform you. It does not replace other forms of prayer; it complements them.

Centering prayer has changed my life and the way I think. It has been so life-giving that I cannot keep it to myself. I have to share it.

Rich Lewis is an author, speaker and coach who focuses on centering prayer as a means of inner transformation. His book, Sitting with God: A Journey to Your True Self Through Centering Prayer (288 pages) is available now.