Meeting with God Every Day
What is ‘Soaking Prayer’ ?
Resting in God's Presence. Soaking prayer is about taking the focus off yourself and what you can do in your God time (like praying and Bible reading) and letting him move how he wants to.
Soaking Prayer can be described as resting in God’s presence - hence the beautiful picture of the frog! Whilst as Christians we understand that God's presence is always with us, sometimes we need to set aside times of quiet prayer, contemplation and relaxation for us to be present with God. Soaking Prayer is one of those times.
This is a time to just "soak" in the presence of God. Although that might sound a little strange to some, prayer in its simplest form as described in the bible is calling on the name of the Lord, and in each instance where it is found in scripture, experiencing the presence of God can be powerful and life changing, or simply calming, soothing and restorative.
Your mind might be buzzing with thoughts. Don't try to wrestle with them. Instead, just wait for them to settle, yielding your thoughts to the Holy Spirit. If you are distracted don't become frustrated. Just simply turn your attention back to the Lord.
In a very busy world this is a space and time for you - to come and be open to God – God is more willing and able to communicate with us than we often realise. This is a great time to seek out the presence of God in quiet, relaxing contemplation – it will be good.
Soaking is about ‘being’ with God, not ‘doing’ things for God. There should be no agenda. Just ‘be’ with God, communing with your loving Father.
Here are some simple steps to help you get started.
-
Find a quiet place - A peaceful environment that helps you to become peaceful on the inside.
-
Get comfortable. Relax and just enjoy being still. Some people soak on the floor with a pillow, on a couch or in a chair.
-
Soaking is about resting, so make sure you will be warm enough - not too hot, or too cold. Some people cover themselves in a light blanket.
-
Play some relaxing music. Music really helps your mind to focus. Quiet instrumental music without words is ideal because it’ll allow you more freedom to focus on what the Holy Spirit is saying. There is so much good soaking music available. There’s even a whole genre of soaking music to pick from. www.soaking.net is an excellent resource.
-
Get rid of distractions. Put your phone on silent, close your laptop, go to a room where there’s not a pile of laundry to fold. You’ll know what distracts you, and you’ll get better at removing those distractions the more you soak.
-
Quiet down your busy thoughts - Initially your thoughts can be racing all over, but know that the Lord is with you. Turn your attention to Him. Wait for your thoughts to settle.
-
Invite the Holy Spirit to come and soak you in His presence - Surrender your mind, body and soul to the Holy Spirit. open your heart to the Lord. Humble yourself before Him.
-
Listen to what God has to say - God might speak to you through words, pictures, memories, or Bible verses.
-
Focus on the God’s presence - Open your heart to the Lord. You are learning to abide in Him. You are learning to focus on Him and His presence.
-
Rest in faith and believe that God is working within you - It isn’t about what you can accomplish through your efforts; it’s about what God is doing in you.
-
How long should I soak? Let yourself be led by the Holy Spirit. Some people suggest that your mind won’t fully switch off until you’ve been resting for 15 minutes. The more time you can spend in His presence, the better. You will find as you do this, in a very short time you will want to spend more time in His presence.
About Me
Through this website I will try to share my views and experiences of Meeting God in the Everyday.
I am a wife, sister, friend and in the past I have been a nurse in the NHS, an Acupuncturist and since 2014 I've been an ordained minister in the Church of England. At the moment I am the vicar of four rural parishes in South Warwickshire.
Meeting with God Every Day
Click a picture
to open the window.
Blog
Podcast Archive
Soaking prayer is laying down our agenda and humbling ourselves before him. As we soak in prayer, we surrender control, confirming his lordship in our lives.
As you soak in the presence of God you may want to turn to Scripture, a biblical reflection or like minded piece of reading. This is not for the purpose of study, but for experiencing God. Read a small portion of the passage slowly and meditate upon it until the Lord gives you revelation.
Soaking Prayer can be done alone, with your spouse, with children or in a cell group or youth group?
Some people like to go to Soaking Prayer sessions lead by someone else. This allows you to completely relax as someone else leads the session. Allowing your mind, heart and emotions to go with the flow and hand yourself over to the Holy Spirit. They may start by reading short passages of scripture or other passages of text, saying short prayers whilst playing relaxing music.
Don't worry if you fall asleep. It's not unusual to do this.
Time
to Pray
Centre
on God
Time to Reflect
Daily
Examen
Hand
Prayers
Soaking
Prayer
Breath
Prayer
​
​
​
​