Using our senses to learn about and experience God

This is the second of a series of articles exploring the use of our senses in connecting with God. If we restrict our understanding and the practice of prayer as being an activity only of the mind, it can be likened to a bird trying to fly with one wing. We would be missing the richness of the use of the senses that God has given us. To “sense” something is to understand and experience life, gaining knowledge and achieving our potential. As we do with the physical world around us, touching, tasting, smelling, seeing, and hearing, so, too, we can use our senses to learn about and experience God. 

In this article, we explore the use of our sense of sight and prayer. Severing a major link with the physical world by closing our eyes is not a precondition of prayer. Reading words is the most obvious and common use of the sense of sight in prayer. Reading scripture, spiritual classics, and articles by Christian authors often leads us into prayer. Many people begin their meditation sessions by reading a written selection before meditating in silence.

Another way of using our sense of sight is the use of visible images to serve as invitations to prayer. Many of us feel the presence of God powerfully when we are in nature with our eyes seeing the wonder of creation. We decorate our churches with objects that should be invitations to prayer. Another form of using our sense of sight in prayer is the use of icons. Sacred icons serve as bridges to Christ. The Eastern Christian churches are noted for their extensive use of icons. When praying with icons it is not the image itself that is important, it is letting the image be the bridge between us and God. It is the vehicle for God to speak to us. Praying with icons is a receiving form of prayer. Most often praying with icons is done in a quiet place, letting God’s spirit connect directly with our spirit.

As we go about our daily lives, we see evidence of God’s work everywhere. We revel in the created works of nature. We see evidence of God working through people to create great works of art and constructed homes and buildings, to name a few.

We are encouraged to see God in everything we see.