by Rowland Croucher

Rowland Croucher (1940–2015) was an Australian Baptist pastor, counsellor, and founder of John Mark Ministries, one of the largest Christian pastoral care websites in the Southern Hemisphere. His ministry was shaped by decades of work with clergy, burnt-out ministers, and spiritual seekers across denominational lines. Croucher was deeply influenced by the contemplative stream of Christianity — the Desert Fathers, Celtic spirituality, lectio divina, and spiritual direction — and spent much of his later career introducing evangelical Protestants to these ancient practices.

This document, posted to the Usenet group talk.religion.spirituality in November 2004, is a practical introduction to Christian meditation written in the voice of a pastor guiding his community into contemplative prayer. It is notable for its pastoral directness, its careful theological grounding in Trinitarian theology, and its willingness to engage the perennial Protestant anxiety about anything resembling Eastern practice. Croucher distinguishes Christian meditation — which seeks communion with a personal God — from emptying meditation that seeks absorption into the cosmos, while acknowledging the shared techniques: stillness, breath, a repeated phrase, imaginative entry into Gospel scenes.

Croucher was known for his breadth of reading and his ecumenical generosity. This document reflects the post-charismatic evangelical moment of the early 2000s, when many Protestant communities were rediscovering contemplative prayer through figures like Richard Foster, Thomas Merton, and Henri Nouwen. For Croucher, the Desert Fathers were not curiosities but living teachers. The still small voice of 1 Kings 19:12 was not metaphor. He is speaking here to people who have forgotten that silence is a Christian inheritance.

A Brief Theological Foundation

Humans are made in the image of God who is Trinity — Father, Son and Holy Spirit, eternally one in love and relationship. Humans are therefore made for relationship and love, not only with each other but supremely with God. Many come to realise that this is the deepest desire within them. It is through meditative prayer that a human finds the grace to peel off the onion layers of false self with its superficial desires, and find the deepest yearnings of the heart which God longs to satisfy. It is God who reveals himself and initiates the relationship of love with humans, supremely demonstrated by the Father sending his Son, Jesus Christ, into the world as a fully human person thus enabling us to relate to God through him, in the Holy Spirit.

(God is not male, but beyond gender since both males and females are made in his image. The terms Father and Son primarily reveal the vital relational aspect of God. The male personal pronoun is used throughout for reasons of convention — unfortunately English lacks a personal non-gender pronoun available in some languages.)

Defining Meditation

The meaning of the word 'meditation,' like many terms, varies depending on context. It is sometimes defined in Christian literature as prayerful reflection on the scriptures but something different to contemplation. For some, the term connotes eastern religious practices of prayer. For the purposes of this introduction, the term includes both the concept of contemplation and prayerful reflection. The emphasis is on silence and solitude which helps still our ego-driven minds. This facilitates listening more attentively to God and entering into more intimate communion and loving relationship with him.

Some Background

Many places in the Old and New Testaments, especially the Psalms, indicate that meditation of the sort referred to here is part of the Christian heritage and certainly has been explicit and emphasised in the church through religious movements as far back as the Desert Fathers and Mothers of the 4th century AD.

Unfortunately in recent centuries, the Church, especially Western Protestantism, has largely ignored this vital aspect of prayer. A reason for this may be the concentration on 'left brain' thinking — logical, intellectual, narrowly focused, result-oriented — which formal education and many churches have adopted. Recent scientific investigation of the brain has revealed the role of the 'right brain' — creative, imaginative, intuitive, feeling, lateral — as essential in solving complex problems and maintaining balanced psychological health and social relationships. Both modes of thinking are essential not only in day-to-day functioning but for a healthy spirituality. It is worth noting that Jesus reiterated the Old Testament command that we should love God with all our mind — not just the left side — and much of his teaching, such as the parables, appealed to right-brain thinking.

Christian and Eastern Meditation

The approach of eastern religions is to empty the mind through physical and mental techniques such as relaxation exercises, images, and chanting in order to seek a state of nothingness, an 'absorption' into the cosmos or 'Nirvana.' Such a goal makes the meditator vulnerable to malevolent spiritual influences which can fill the void.

Christian meditation may use some similar techniques — relaxation, music, focus on a word, image, story or symbol — to help disengage from temporal concerns and be available for God. But the purpose is not to achieve a void, but communion with the living God. Thus the Christian meditator seeks 'the still small voice of God' (1 Kings 19:12), which is the way God usually seems to speak to us subjectively. It is for this reason the Psalmist exhorts us, 'Be still and know — not just intellectually but experientially — that I am God' (Psalm 46:10) and 'My soul, wait — be silent, cease, be still — only upon God.' (Psalm 62:5)

It is in this context that the meditator can use the 'left brain' outside any 'experience' to humbly reflect on it in the light of Scripture especially, but also in the light of the writings of other Christians who have practiced meditation down through the centuries. A spiritual director is of great benefit in assisting such a person discern and interpret the spirit of the experience. Without these helps and guidance, there is a danger of misguided mysticism that convinces itself that the voice of the subtle false ego and exalted feeling is really the voice of God.

Some Helps to Meditation

A quiet, unhurried atmosphere.

A relaxed mind and body. Relaxation techniques include:

• good posture (lying flat on your back; kneeling or sitting with a straight but not stiff back)
• muscle relaxation exercises
• focus on breathing — long, slow, deep breaths from the pit of the stomach
• focus on a symbol, word, phrase, or scene in the imagination
• pray a 'prayer of the heart' — slowly, deliberately, and repeatedly; e.g., "Jesus have mercy," "Come Lord Jesus"

A short explicit prayer to God for help and guidance.

Discipline — set aside time regularly. Start modestly and as your desire for communion with God develops, increase the amount of time. Some people with busy family and work commitments may pray this way for 15 minutes daily but find a whole hour on weekends.

Perseverance to switch off from other concerns and keep returning to God if distractions come. It is best to acknowledge distractions briefly — perhaps commit them to God specifically and briefly — and then deliberately put them aside and return to God.

Meditate on the scriptures, especially the Gospel stories and parables, and imagine the scene with you entering it. Then let the Holy Spirit guide what happens.

A sense of poverty and humility. Poverty makes beggars of us and creates a sense of urgency and humility in our desires. It is not that God is unwilling to respond — in fact our relationship with him is always initiated by him — but he knows that our ability to receive is limited without a real sense of need. Jesus said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven." (Matthew 5:3) Part of this poverty is an awareness of our sin and shortcomings. Thus we come to God confident only in his gracious acceptance of us as our Father.

A hunger and thirst for the things of God. Jesus said, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled." (Matthew 5:6) Note that it is the desire for righteousness — ultimately the desire for Him who is its source — not desire for ecstatic feelings or an experience of God 'speaking' to you, which is promised to be fulfilled.

The Holy Spirit. He is God on our side, our ultimate Helper. He communicates with the Father on our behalf in a manner beyond words (Romans 8:26–27). Invite him to help you, revealing the depths of both your own heart and that of God's heart for you.

What to Expect

If meditation as described is new to you, you might find it difficult to let your mind be still. Do not worry if this happens; just keep returning to your focus on God and appreciate whatever you receive — which may simply be the grace to persevere despite the struggle. This is pleasing to God.

You might experience strong emotions which surprise you. Do not suppress these. Release them — you need not be embarrassed if it occurs in the presence of your spiritual director, who is trained to expect such emotions to surface (and they do, frequently!). Release often brings relief, healing, self-understanding, revelation of God's love and growing intimacy with him.

You may hear God's still small voice as interiorly audible words, images or pictures (a vision), or through a dream when sleeping. But remember: such wonderful experiences, for which you should thank God, are not an end in themselves. The goal is more intimate communion and relationship with God. It is a mistake of some involved with the Charismatic movement to become focused on experiences rather than the God who gives them.

You may not hear any interior voice or see an interior vision but just have a real sense of God's presence bringing you some freeing truth, enlightenment, or just a sense of his love.

Often, there is no discernible experience of God. We cannot manipulate him by following a particular set of rules or techniques. Prayer is about a relationship between two persons — you and God. Sometimes we get to know God better in the deserts and shadows of life. The evidence of the value of meditation is not ecstatic experience but a life which is gently changed to produce the fruit of the Spirit — love, joy, peace, patience.

Finally, be prepared to be surprised and delighted. Remember, Jesus rose from the dead and is fully alive. He is therefore able and desirous of meeting with you, where you are and as you have need and desire, at its deepest level. The risen Jesus says: "Behold, I am with you always."

Colophon

Written by Rowland Croucher (1940–2015), Australian Baptist pastor, counsellor, and founder of John Mark Ministries. Originally posted to talk.religion.spirituality and related newsgroups on 14 November 2004. Croucher spent decades in ministry with clergy and laity across denominational lines, and was a leading voice in introducing evangelical Protestants to the contemplative tradition of the Desert Fathers, lectio divina, and spiritual direction.

Original Message-ID: <4197e216$0$25321$[email protected]>

Preserved from the Usenet archive for the Good Work Library by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026.

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