ABSTRACT
This chapter talks about the history and central ingredients of centering prayer, which has grown in popularity over the last several decades. With roots in the contemplative tradition, centering prayer is a contemporary version of a form of prayer presented in The Cloud of Unknowing, helping Christians to sit with God in silence beyond thoughts, feelings, and sensations. With centering prayer, practitioners are advised to say a brief prayer to God, asking for him to be active within their inner world during formal practice. In turn, a prayer word is selected, which merely serves as a symbolic gesture, with practitioners reciting the word to surrender to God's active, loving presence. Pivoting from the pursuit of knowledge to a loving, experiential way of knowing, the chapter argues that centering prayer can allow one to develop a firm trust in God's active, loving presence from moment to moment.
