I came across a Thomas Merton prayer in a new book I am reading by Jim Murphy, The Best Possible Life.
I have come across this prayer multiple times.
I admit I have not read Merton, but I have read much about him as others in their books discuss what they have learned from this great man.
One part of the prayer really stood out to me.
Merton prayed about the desire to please God.
“But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope that I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire.”
That is why I sit in the silence of centering prayer.
I let go of me and what I think I should do and the actions I think I should take.
God prays in me during my silent sits.
I then get up from my sits and act on the things God has prayed in me.
My sits keep me in synch with God.
They make certain I partner with God as I move through each day.
I need these sits and God needs my actions that arise from these sits.
As I think about the actions I have taken because of these sits, let me share five.
1. I created Silence Teaches.
I created this site, Silence Teaches, to help people learn how to sit with God through the power of centering prayer.
The tag line on my site is:
Learn to sit quietly and experience more peace, clarity, and direction.
That is what happens when you surrender to God!
That is why I practice centering prayer 1–2 times per day!
2. I wrote Sitting with God.
I wrote Sitting with God because I wanted to share how this powerful practice can deepen your relationship with God and connect you to your true self, the person God wants you to be and the actions God wants you to take.
The exciting part is your true self has no end point.
It is a lifelong journey.
3. We moved to North Carolina.
My wife and I had always wanted to move to North Carolina.
Each time we visited family there, we reminded ourselves, some day we will move there.
When my job went remote back in 2022, we began the home search and moved in January 2023.
We feel like we have come home.
We love it here!
Calm.
Peaceful.
Beautiful.
Friendly.
Home.
4. I looked for a new job.
In 2023 I knew it was time to look for a new job.
The idea of searching for one scared the heck out of me.
I did it one step at a time:
Updated my resume.
Set up phone calls with peers at other companies.
Applied for positions.
Interviewed.
I surrendered to God.
I trusted that God would find the right company for me and my family.
I started my new remote job July 3, 2023!
5. I wrote my second book.
I knew it was time to write my second book.
I sat down to begin the first draft on Labor Day 2022.
I wrote when I could squeeze it in after work, in the mornings on Saturday, and at the local coffee shop.
I wrote 500–1000 words at a time.
I finished editing it in late 2025.
I hope to share it with you later this year.
Let me ask you an important question.
What happens when you surrender to God?
If you are new to centering prayer, I created a free guide to help you begin.
It is simple, gentle, and designed to help you sit quietly with God and experience more peace, clarity, and direction.
You can download the free guide here.
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