In a few weeks I am speaking at a youth event on the subject of prayer. I have taught on prayer a number of times over the years, of course — most youth pastors do at some point.

Lately, in preparation for my talk, I have been reading some books on the subject. I really don’t want to present to teens the same old thing about prayer. So, I have been reading and I have been deeply challenged by some of what I have learned about prayer in recent days. For example, today I read a little (barely 100 pages) but hugely significant book written by Henri Nouwen called, The Way of the Heart: Connecting with God through Prayer, Wisdom and Silence.

I learned that prayer, according to Nouwen and many of the Desert Fathers he quotes from, comes out of silence. Silence comes out of solitude. So, when we talk about prayer, we must talk about silence and solitude — for it is out of these two disciplines that prayer can truly help us “come to rest” with God.

Here is a part of Nouwen’s work on the subject of solitude… (that can lead to silence, that can lead to ceaseless prayer)

“In order to understand the meaning of solitude, we must first unmask the ways in which the idea of solitude has been distorted by our world. We say to each other that we need some solitude in our lives. What we really are thinking of, however, is a time and a place for ourselves in which we are not bothered by other people, can think our own thoughts, express our own complaints, and do our own thing, whatever it may be. For us, solitude most often means privacy. We have come to the dubious conviction that we all have a right to privacy. Solitude becomes like a spiritual property for which we can compete on the free market of spiritual goods. But there is more. We also think of solitude as a station where we can recharge our batteries, or as the corner of the boxing ring where our wounds are oiled, our muscles massaged, and our courage restored by fitting slogans. In short, we think of solitude as a place where we gather new strength to continue the ongoing competition in life…”

Nouwen goes on to say…

“…solitude is not a private therapeutic place. Rather, it is the place of conversion, the place where the old self dies and the new self is born, the place where the new man and the new women occurs.”

As you think about how to teach and model to your students what prayer is, I would encourage you to take a few hours and read this book. I think you will discover some new ideas on what prayer is and how we can help our students and volunteers encounter God in fresh ways.