Recently, a friend shared a concern with me about a type of prayer that I had never heard of before – contemplative or centering prayer. When I come upon a new thing like this, I like to search it out. I’ve spent hours today researching the subject and its companion, the emergent church.

Contemplative prayer on the surface might sound like a way to bring us into closer communion with God. It uses a focus word and mantra-like chanting, emptying the mind of all thought and using the Scripture in quasi-meditative manner. But in reality, a way that the Bible warns us against.

Matthew 6:6-8 says, “But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.”

Contemplative prayer promoters quote this verse along with “Be still and know that I’m God,” as a motive for such prayer.

I understand the need for us to be quiet before the Lord, but I see our quiet as more of a need to stop talking, stop running around, and spend time with Him. It doesn’t say to stop thinking – it says to be still. And when we meditate, Psalm 1:1-2 tells us:

“How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,
Nor stand in the path of sinners,
Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!
But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
And in His law he meditates day and night.”

To meditate on the law day and night doesn’t leave any room for meditating on a word or a phrase or a breath or suggest that we should empty our mind of all thoughts. Such a thing moves us dangerously close to false teaching and mysticism. And if we read the verses that follow the one about praying in secret, we can see that Jesus admonishes His children not to use vain or meaningless repetitions as the heathen do.

“And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.”

The heathen (contemplative prayer is linked to Buddhism and other Eastern religions), think they will be heard or find God in their mantras and chanting and peaceful feelings. Jesus said, “don’t be like them.”

We can have a close relationship with God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ without dabbling in any form of mysticism. Jesus’ shed blood on the cross opened the door to fellowship with Him. But that fellowship comes in the form of studying the Word to show ourselves approved unto God – and praying as He taught. Anything else is to stray from His truth. It’s simply not worth it.