Held by God | Centering Prayer in Northeast Ohio

Week 15: December 9, 2025 | Theme: Held by God

A Centering Prayer reflection from Hope Ridge United Methodist Church in Northeast Ohio

This week’s Centering Prayer gathering at Hope Ridge took place in the heart of Advent, a season marked by waiting, hope, and attentive listening for God’s presence in our everyday lives. Advent invites us to slow down, to watch and wait, and to open ourselves to the ways God meets us here and now.

We began as usual by settling into stillness, drawing breath together, softening the body, and allowing the breath's rhythms to shape our awareness. In Centering Prayer, this settling is not a warm-up; it is prayer. By inviting our bodies into peace first, we make space for our hearts to follow.

Noticing What We Brought In, Held By God

As we drew inward, we noticed what we carried into the room: the busyness of the day, old worries, unspoken thoughts, a sense of being stretched thin. In the quiet of our presence together, we were invited to gently release these into the loving hands of God, who is here with us.

We don’t have to carry it all alone. We are held.

This simple act, placing our concerns down and lifting our attention toward God, shaped the tone of our silence and the prayer that followed.

Resting in Silence

In the stillness that followed, each person chose a sacred word or image as an anchor for presence, like we always do when centering. A sacred word, whether it was Peace, Love, Trust, Jesus, or an image like a candle flame or the rhythm of breath, served as a gentle point of return when thoughts wandered.

The mind will wander; that is part of our human experience.

In Centering Prayer, we simply notice and release, a practice of consent to God’s presence beyond thought.

In this time of silence, we practiced faithfulness not through effort, but through availability.

Holding Space

As we transitioned out of silence, we practiced holding space: first for gratitude, then for tenderness toward ourselves, then for whatever fear we may carry, and finally for the truth that love continues to invite us forward. There was no pressure to produce insight or perfection; only an invitation to remain open and gentle with ourselves.

Advent’s Promise of Presence

During our reflection, we named Advent as a season that holds two profound realities together:

Christ entering the world, and the promise of Christ coming again to make all things new.

This truth is rooted in the scriptures we reflected on from Luke and Malachi, texts that remind us God is drawing near and calling us, “Do not be afraid.” In this waiting, we are invited to trust that God’s presence is already at work within us and among us, even in silence.

We also touched on the fact that fear is the opposite of love.

Fear has a way of tightening us, pulling us inward, and urging us to protect ourselves. Love, by contrast, invites openness, trust, and presence. Fear is part of being human, but it does not have to be what guides us. In Advent, we are reminded again and again that love meets us precisely in the places where fear arises.

A Word for the Week

This week’s gathering reminded us that prayer does not require perfection or readiness. It asks only for our presence. And in that presence, we discover that our life truly is a life of prayer.

May you feel God’s steady presence this week, and may you be held by God in every breath.

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About Our Group

The Be Still and Know Centering Prayer group meets weekly at Hope Ridge United Methodist Church in Mentor, Ohio. Each session combines silent prayer, Scripture, and reflection to create space for stillness and God’s presence together.

All are welcome. Come as you are, and rest in the quiet presence of God.

For more information, click here or email the group facilitator.