What is soaking prayer?

Answer  
  

Since the 1990s there has been an increased focus on mysticism within various segments of Christianity. Bordering on the esoteric, these mystical experiences broaden the division between a "factual faith" and a "felt faith," and threaten to replace sound biblical teaching with emotion\-driven response. Soaking prayer is one such mystical activity. It is described as resting in God’s presence. This is accomplished by playing some gentle worship songs, either sitting or lying down, and praying short, simple prayers for an extended period of time, but otherwise keeping your mind free of other thoughts. At the point when you sense God’s presence through some type of manifestation like tingling skin, a sensation of heat or cold, or even a gentle wind seemingly blowing through your body, you are to just "soak" in that presence.  
  

Although that might sound a little strange to some, it does not immediately come across as being necessarily bad. However, the rule by which we measure our experiences in life is the Bible (2 Timothy 3:16\-17\), and when soaking prayer is examined accordingly, we find that it comes up wanting for biblical support. Nowhere in the Bible can a model of prayer be found that soaking prayer follows.  
  

Prayer in its simplest form in the Bible is calling on the name of the Lord (Genesis 4:26\), and in each instance where it is found in Scripture, it is descriptive of [communicating with God](communicating-with-God.html). Soaking prayer starts that way, but quickly devolves into a trance\-like meditative state. This is when soaking prayer ceases to be biblical and becomes more like a [New Age](new-age-movement.html) practice or something an adherent of [Hinduism](hinduism.html) would participate in.  
  

There is no denying that experiencing the presence of God can be powerful and life changing. It is not the goal of soaking prayer that is biblically errant; it is its methodology. Soaking prayer focuses on obtaining a spiritual experience by seeking out the presence of God through mystical exercises. In this it is similar to ”[contemplative prayer](contemplative-prayer.html)” and [contemplative spirituality](contemplative-spirituality.html), which are equally unbiblical. Biblical prayer is talking to God with His will in mind (1 John 5:14\). A biblically praying believer already understands that God’s presence is always with him (Psalm 139:7; Matthew 28:20; 1 Corinthians 6:19; 1 Thessalonians 4:8; 2 Timothy 1:14\), and he doesn’t need to experience any type of physical sensation to prove it.  
  

