One of the reasons I love visiting Japan is the onsen: a hot spring or hot tub, but also much more than that. An onsen is a cultural experience. Smaller onsens will have two or three tubs, but larger ones may have up to ten. They are inside and outside, hot, very hot, cold, saltwater, sulfur water, and other varieties. The tubs can be the size of swimming pools and are often made of rock. Japanese will spend hours at the onsen, and often include relaxing times with friends and family. The water is all naturally heated by volcanic springs. Soaking in an onsen is a tremendously relaxing and refreshing experience.
“Soaking prayer” is a modern term for an ancient practice called contemplative prayer and Biblical meditation. The term “soaking” began during the late ‘90s. In Charismatic meetings, people often fell to the ground while receiving prayer, but they’d hastily get back up. In this revival, people were encouraged to remain on the floor and spend time in prayer. Before long, people just lay down and focused on God as part of their prayer time. Soaking prayer as a spiritual discipline was a reintroduction of the ancient practice of contemplative prayer.
Psalms 23:1-3: “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake.” Every Christian has heard this Psam, but what does it actually look like? Restoration of our souls and being led in righteousness is a result of being made to lie down. Just because this may not be culturally normal, we can’t overlook this mandate.
Psalms 4:4: “Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still. Selah.” Here is another verse about engaging with God while lying down and being still. Quieting our minds and our bodies can be a powerful way to open our spirits to the presence and voice of the Lord. Throughout Scripture we are commanded to rest, quiet ourselves, and meditate on God and His Word.
I like to think of soaking prayer as prayer without an agenda. It is time set aside to listen, wait, expect, rest, to create an opportunity to interact with God. Like any discipline, it takes practice. Start with 5- or 10-minute soaking times, but the benefits normally are found by spending extended periods such as 30 to 60 minutes on a regular basis. Life is busy; my life is busy; I understand how difficult it is. But if you plan it like a doctor’s appointment, you’ll find it is possible. Playing instrumental music helps some. Others find listening to an audio Bible helps. I keep a notepad handy to write down thoughts, so I don’t have to remember things and can keep my mind and spirit open to hearing God or simply enjoying silence. During this month as we explore Practicing God’s Presence, I encourage you to give soaking prayer a chance and see what happens!