Learning to Pray from the Spirit and the Heart
By Lorenzo Scupoli,
as edited by Nicodemus of the Holy Mountain,
adapted by Theophan the Recluse,
and further adapted by Jack N. Sparks
What Is Mental Prayer?
We practice mental prayer when we collect our spirit in our heart and send out our prayer to God from there—not aloud, but in silent words: praising and thanking Him, confessing our sins to Him with repentance, and pleading with Him for blessings for our spiritual and bodily needs.
We are called upon to pray not only in words, but in our spirit, and not only in our spirit, but also in our heart—so our mind sees and understands clearly what is said in words, and our heart feels what our mind thinks. All this, joined together, is real prayer. And if our prayer does not have all this, it is either imperfect or not prayer at all. That fact should, however, not discourage us, but help direct us on our way, for we are, after all, on a journey to God.
We have all probably heard the expressions “prayer with words,” “prayer with the spirit,” “prayer with the heart,” and we may have heard explanations of each of them separately. But why make such a division of prayer into its component parts? For one thing, because of our carelessness and lack of attention, our tongue sometimes says the holy words of prayer while our spirit wanders away somewhere. Or our spirit understands the words of prayer, but our heart does not respond to them with feeling. In the first case, prayer is merely words, and not properly prayer at all. In the second, prayer with words is connected with inner prayer, but it is still flawed—incomplete—prayer. Real and full prayer takes place when our praying words and praying thoughts combine with praying feelings.
There also exists (by the grace of God) prayer of the heart alone. This is called “spiritual prayer”—prayer which the Holy Spirit moves in our heart. The one who prays is conscious of it, but does not do it, for it acts on its own. This is the prayer of the perfect, and most of us do not reach that level. But the form of prayer always attainable to all of us is that form in which spirit and feeling are combined with the words of prayer.
We must add, however, that there is yet another form of prayer—called “standing in the presence of God.” This form occurs when the one who prays is wholly and completely concentrated in his heart and inwardly contemplates God as being present to him and within him. This prayer is accompanied by feelings of fear of God, wonder and awe before His greatness, or of faith and hope, or of love and submission to His will, or of repentance and readiness to make any sacrifice.
Such a state of prayer comes when a person becomes deeply immersed in prayer by word, spirit, and heart. If we pray in the right way—and for a long time—this state will come to us more and more often. And it can even finally become permanent. This is called “walking before God” and is equivalent to constant prayer. David was in this state when he said of himself, “I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved” (Psalm 16:8).
Therefore, if we want our prayer to be very fruitful, we must learn never to be content with oral prayer alone. We must work and learn to pray with our heart and spirit as well—using our mind to understand and to be conscious of all that is said in words, and using our heart to feel it all. Above all, we must learn to pray with our heart—and practice it. Prayer bursting from the heart is like a streak of lightning—as if taking but a moment to cross the heavens and appear before the throne of the all-merciful God (of course it is really even faster than that, for we pray right before His throne). Hearing such a prayer, God is especially moved by it. This was, for example, the prayer with which Moses prayed standing before the Red Sea. Immediately he heard God’s voice: “Why do you cry to Me?” (Exodus 14:15). And we know God gave him the power to free his people from the danger which threatened them at the hands of Pharaoh and his army. We, too, may expect such action from God when we pray from our heart.
Having gone this far, we should all be ready to ask: How can I learn to pray this way? The answer is: Train yourself. You can train yourself to pray in exactly the way we have described—that is, not only in words, but also in spirit and heart. Train yourself and you will learn. How did you learn to read? Though you had teachers, the fact is, you began to work at it and you did learn. How did you learn to write? You began to write, and you learned. That is also how we learn to pray in the manner set forth—by beginning to pray in exactly this way.
Morning and Evening Prayers
The Church provides ordered forms of morning and evening prayers (most of which are ancient) for the use of her people. These are not exhaustive, but do provide an elementary guide—to be supplemented by prayers we add as our life with God progresses. The main emphasis in prayer, however, is not on the saying of the words, but on our own spiritual concentration.
The ancient Canonicon, the collection of prayers for our personal use upon which our prayer books are based, reads, “Before you begin the day after waking up, stand reverently before the All-Seeing God. Make the Sign of the Cross and say, ‘In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.’ Having thus invoked the Holy Trinity, remain silent for a time, freeing your thoughts and feelings from all worldly cares. Then recite the following prayers deliberately and wholeheartedly.”
In this instruction (which is directly followed by the morning rule) we immediately see two things:
(1) spiritual attention and concentration; and
(2) specific Christian doctrinal emphasis from the very beginning: invocation of the Holy Trinity, and the sign of the Cross, pointing to the mystery of our redemption.
We should make no attempt at ecstasy or emotion. Our perspective should instead be stillness and quietness.
Though you may not realize it, you probably already know the words of prayer. They are to be found in the prayer books and service books of the Church. We also find them in the prayers poured out of the hearts of saintly men and women when, moved by the Holy Spirit, they expressed before God the desires of their hearts. The spirit of prayer is contained in these words. So, if we read them as we should, we too will be filled with this spirit—just as the spirit of a writer is communicated to one who reads with complete attention and absorption. We have all experienced this at one time or another.
These words of prayer are collected in many prayer books, so we do not have to work at gathering them together. Therefore: get yourself a prayer book.
Using a Prayer Book
How, then, shall we proceed? Open your prayer book. Begin by studying the text of the prayers. Then read them before God, meditating on the meaning of each word. Yes, you may, as we have said, do this for months and years, feeling nothing. But be certain: God hears you. Then one day the Holy Spirit Himself will stop you in the middle of the prayers and pray in you, for “the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered” (Romans 8:26).
When He does, it is time to stop speaking, listen to Him, and be led. The purpose of personal worship is to set aside all our self-centeredness and become a vehicle of the Spirit. But that does not mean our individuality—our “personness”—is destroyed. No, it is instead raised to a higher level through communion with the perfect personality of the Holy Spirit.
Thus we see that prayer should not be identified with or equated with petition or request. To pray does not necessarily mean “to ask,” although it always means “to seek.” “Prayer,” writes Saint John of Damascus, “is an ascent to God, or the asking God for things which are fitting.” And, of course, there are levels and degrees. We begin with supplication and intercession—laying our needs, defects, and weaknesses before God. He already knows our needs and sorrows much better than we ourselves (Matthew 6:8), but we must ask. And He is always ready to help—even before we ask at all.
Then comes thanksgiving for His divine love. This is, in a sense, a higher level of prayer, leading ultimately to dispassionate praise and adoration of God—while thinking not at all of our needs and problems. In this context of prayer we come face to face with His splendor and glory, to praise Him for His unutterable majesty—the majesty of love that surpasses all knowledge and understanding (see Colossians 1:9; 2:2), not to mention the benefits He imparts to the whole world.
And it is in this sense also that the choir of humanity joins that of the angels, who do not ask or even give thanks at all, but simply praise Him continually for His eternal glory (1 Peter 5:10), majesty (Jude 25), and splendor, with the words, “Holy, Holy, Holy” (Revelation 4:8). So true prayer is not “me-centered,” but God-centered, a glorious ascent from petition to contemplation of the Glory of God.
Then, at the times you fix for prayer (usually in the morning and in the evening), read the prayers you find in your prayer book, paying attention to every word, thinking the thoughts expressed there, and trying to reproduce in your heart the very same feelings stirred up within you when you read the prayer. You must struggle, and will find yourself in a continuing struggle—that is certain, and it will not cease. Christians all over the world do it every day.
Someone might say, “True, many people do this. But if so, why don’t they all experience proper prayer?” Because although we do it—that is, we open the prayer book and read—some, perhaps many of us (even all of us at least some of the time), do not bring our whole heart and spirit into it. Our mind wanders in every kind of direction because we don’t have it under control. And our heart follows its own pleasure instead of praying.
Therefore, we have an important task before us: we must learn, when we pray, to devote ourselves to making our spirit stick to the words of prayer and making our heart absorb what those words say. When we do that, we will begin to taste the fruit of the words of prayer.
Steps to Success
So we see where we stand: since we have the words of prayer and know what it means to understand and feel them, the rest depends on us. Prayer and success in it are in our hands. If we work at it diligently, we will succeed. Here are a few pointers which will be helpful in the process:
(1) Try to reflect on and feel the prayers you read—not at the hour of prayer, but at some other free time. When we do this, we will have, at the time of prayer, less difficulty reproducing within ourselves the whole content of the prayer we read. We will find that when we read one of our prayers, the thoughts and feelings contained in it will come to our conscious mind, and we will speak the words as if they were truly ours—born in our own heart and pouring out of it, instead of having been brought into it.
(2) Having thought about and felt the prayers, try to learn them by heart. Once we have done this, we will carry our prayers around within us. As long as they are only in the prayer book, they are outside us, but when we have learned them by heart, they are within us, so whatever the circumstances, we will always have our prayer book with us. Besides, when we memorize prayers we engrave the praying thoughts and feelings more deeply within ourselves than if we have merely studied them, reflecting so that we felt their meaning. This sort of study of prayers, in which we not only memorize the words but also preserve within ourselves the thoughts and feelings they contain, will help us build a structure of prayer within. It is, in fact, the best method of forming the habit of proper prayer.
(3) When it comes time to say your prayers, don’t begin to say them just as soon as you have torn yourself away from whatever you happened to be doing just before. Instead, first prepare yourself: stand in silence for a while, to give your heart, spirit, and body a chance to calm down.
Meanwhile, remember what you are about to approach, what you are about to do, who you are who are about to pray, who He is before whom you are about to say your prayers, and exactly what you are going to say, and how.
This sort of preparation is necessary because in the morning our soul is still heavy from sleep, and the cares of the day before us always flood in upon us when we awaken; and in the evening we are full of all the experiences of the day, especially those which stand out as either particularly pleasant or particularly unpleasant.
As we begin, then, we must try to sweep all these things out of our consciousness, so the work of prayer occupies our full attention—and we can devote the time before us exclusively to prayer. If something clings to our consciousness and we cannot succeed in dealing with it, that matter should be turned into a subject for prayer or thanksgiving. In some such cases we may need to ask for help and liberation—or commit them, ourselves, and all we have to God’s will. We are there, after all, to deal with our life before Him.
(4) Then, just before you begin to say your prayers, bring to your consciousness the feeling and sense that you are standing in the presence of God with reverent awe. And bring to life in your heart the faith that God sees and hears you—He does not turn away from those who pray to Him, but looks on them with compassion, and He looks upon you now as you pray. Let your prayer be lifted up with hope that He is ready to grant—and will actually grant—your requests that are good for your soul.
(5) Now, having brought yourself to this point, say your prayers with the greatest possible attention, taking care to make them come from your heart—as truly your own—even though you have them memorized. We must not let our attention wander off, nor our thoughts begin to roam around. As soon as we notice anything like this happening, we must bring our thoughts back within and resume our prayers from the point at which our attention strayed to something else. Again, we must remember: our attention will not stray when our heart is filled with feelings of prayer. Thus, our first concern should be those feelings. Nor should we allow ourselves to hurry in saying our prayers. Rather, we must continue to the end reverently—with patience—as is fitting for any sacred undertaking.
(6) It may be that, while you are saying your prayers, some subject of prayer especially touches your heart—capturing your attention as something very important in your present circumstances. When that happens, do not let the moment slip by. Instead, pause and pray in your own words until the need or feeling for prayer about this particular matter has been satisfied.
(7) If you set out to practice saying your prayers in this way, you will gain the spirit of prayer. We need this spirit very much, and we must try to maintain it in force as much as possible. Therefore, do not throw yourself into your daily schedule of activities immediately after your prayers. And never get the idea that once you have gone through your rule of prayer, you have fulfilled your duty to God and can now turn your thoughts and feelings loose. No! Prayer is not a matter of “fulfilling a duty.” Morning prayers are just the start of our day. For the rest of the day, try to keep the same attitude and frame of mind and reference—the same spirit—as during your rule of prayer. There are available to us all some helps we can draw on to assist us in doing this.
To succeed, we must never forget we are walking before God, and His hand alone keeps us above the abyss of death. Keeping this in mind, we must do everything, both large and small, in the way God wishes, asking His blessing and doing everything to the glory of His Name.
If we do these things, we will maintain the right state of mind for prayer all the way up to the time of our evening prayers. Then, if we do them in the same manner, we will sleep properly at night. Thus, we will have lived a day and a night, a full twenty-four hours, in a good prayerful state of being. Keeping it up—passing day after day in this manner—we can, in a few months (or perhaps even weeks), see our prayers gain in strength. Then, prayer will constantly burn in our heart like a light that never goes out.
(8) There is one more thing to be added: namely, the necessity for this work of prayer to go on without interruption from the moment it is begun until we achieve some success. But if we pray well today and keep that state of prayer within, and then tomorrow become careless and spend the day scattered, and so on, we will never achieve success in prayer. That is the same as building up and tearing down. In the end, prayer may dry up altogether and our soul will become incapable of it. Having once begun, we must patiently maintain the life of prayer, never weakening nor pandering to ourselves by special dispensations and indulgences.
The Purpose of Training in Prayer
The purpose of our training in the beginnings of prayer is to enable us to enter into a conversation with God. We may pray at any time of the day—for the aim is that prayer become an attitude of our heart and a habit of our soul. We are to feel ourselves continually and permanently in God’s presence. Our ultimate goal in life is, of course, to be with God always. When we are, the Holy Spirit speaks in our heart, joyful and burning. All this is, as we see, far from formalism and ritualism.
Still, there is no place for arbitrary improvisation, for it is the Spirit who does the true and proper improvising within us. We must be cautious and patient, however, for this only happens when our soul has been prepared by long and steady spiritual exercise. Our yearning and hoping for the work of the Holy Spirit must be combined with hard work. Prayer is to be the source and center of our spiritual formation.
The Point of Beginning: Faith in Jesus Christ
Prayer is among those activities we find indispensable in attaining this fellowship with the Spirit. Still, we must remember where we start: for we must begin with a true faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who came into the world to save sinners (1 Timothy 1:15). Through His promise we have access to the Holy Spirit (John 14:16), the Kingdom of God (John 3:3–5), and the blessings of life eternal (John 17:3).
When, then, we pray to the Holy Spirit in our daily prayers, “Come and abide in us, cleanse us from every stain, and save our souls, O Good One,” we can be confident of His desire to help us as we labor to experience His presence. For as we said, the search for the Spirit is to be combined with hard work. Nor do we imply that “good works” are means of salvation. There is nothing meritorious about the works we do. They are, instead, fruits of obedience and complete self-dedication to God and His purpose. They are duties, but not virtues. They are our grateful response to the redeeming grace and mercy of the Living God, revealed and outpoured in Jesus Christ, the Lord and Savior of all.
STUDY QUESTIONS
1.Have you been able to follow the process of collecting your spirit in your heart? If not, what would you say has been the major block in your ability to do so? If so, how has it helped your prayer life and your relationship with God?
2.Consider the kinds or levels of prayer discussed in this chapter. What would need to happen for you to experience them? What is the next step you need to take?
3.Consider once more the rule of prayer you presently follow. What would you now say about its effectiveness for you?
4.What elements of this chapter seem to be of most value to you in improving your prayer life? What was the most striking part of the presentation?
5.How do you believe you can immediately improve your prayer life?
This article is reprinted from Chapter Two of Prayer in the Unseen Warfare, compiled and edited by Fr. Jack N. Sparks. The article was printed in the Vol. 11 No. 3 issue of The Handmaiden (published Summer, 2007).
Note:
I have worked for the most part from the translation by E. Kadloubovsky and G.E.H. Palmer, first published in England in 1952 by Faber and Faber under the title Unseen Warfare, and later published in the United States by Saint Vladimir’s Seminary Press.
—Jack N. Sparks, Ben Lomond, California, 1996