A Look at “Meditation” in Early A.A.
By Dick B.
The Names They Gave It
Practically none of the names for early A.A. "meditation" was a Biblical
name although "prayer and meditation" (as Bill Wilson called them in the
Big Book) certainly had Biblical roots-particularly as prayer and
meditation were practiced by A.A.'s pioneers. One of the earliest names
was "The Morning Watch." The expression was often used in prior years by
the YMCA, by Harry Emerson Fosdick, by Rev. Sam Shoemaker, and by many
others from whom AAs took their ideas. Sam Shoemaker was to write later
that he preferred the expression "Quiet Time" because the principles
often needed to be practiced throughout the day and also had a way of
slipping from the morning to a later part of the day. "Quiet Time" was an
expression widely used by Sam Shoemaker, by Oxford Group people, by early
AAs, and in many religious circles. I first heard the expression at an
A.A. meeting in Marin County, California, and didn't have the slightest
idea what it meant-though it seemed to involved a "quiet period" before
the day's affairs were started. "Two-way prayer" became an Oxford Group
term for describing prayer as "speaking" to God and "meditation" or
"quiet time" as "listening" to God. Then came the word "Guidance." You
sought "guidance." You asked for "guidance." You "got guidance." And you
consulted other believers for "guidance" if you couldn't understand the
meaning of the thoughts that came. "Guidance" was a term used by
Christian pro-genitors like F. B. Meyer and his The Secret of Guidance.
Meyer's influence extended to the Student Christian Movement, Christian
Endeavor, and Oxford Group members. Hence directly and indirectly to A.A.
and its founders. The real emphasis was on "listening" for "luminous
thoughts." Then on the necessity for writing them down, preferably in a
journal. I have in my possession copies of personal notations from Rev.
Sam Shoemaker's journal in 1931 and in 1934 to 1936. They mention the
Firestone family members and their trip to Denver in 1931; and the
journal entries later mention "Bill Wilson" and other Oxford Group team
members by name. The stress on listening gave rise to Oxford Group
expressions like "God gave man one mouth and two ears. That should tell
you something!" Writing thoughts down gave rise to the expression that
the ancient Chinese believed the strongest memory is paler than the
weakest ink.. Oddly, though the words "prayer" and "meditation" are both
used in the Bible and easily understood in the Bible and in English, they
were shunned by the Oxford Group and some of the A.A. pioneers in favor
of the catch phrases above. There was a growing failure to continue
mention of the Bible sources. There was a new stress on non-Biblical
substitute language, and the added intrusion of "New Age" and Eastern
concepts. And all contributed to the kind of self-made religion,
self-made meditation ideas, and self-made interpretations of what had
been three very simple and clearly comprehended expressions from the
Bible: (1) Prayer. (2) Meditation. (3) Revelation. Our early believers
prayed to our Creator. Believers meditated on (pondered) God's Word-the
Bible. And, if God chose to make such guidance available, they received
revelation-particularly Word of Knowledge and Word of Wisdom (See 1
Corinthians 12:7-11). The Bible is filled with examples. And, in his
title, The God Who Speaks, the great theologian (later an Oxford Group
supporter) B. H. Streeter cited many examples of these and another
revelation manifestation.
What Did "Meditation" Really Involve?
Some of our forbears had the gift of describing with simplicity the
desired period they set aside for reading, praying, and communicating
with God. The Reverend Howard C. Blake, a Presbyterian, had much of the
same background that Dr. Bob had as a youngster. He often went to church
four times a week, belonged to Christian Endeavor, and committed himself
to doing the will of God. He also was involved in Student Christian
Movement activities, worked with Sam Shoemaker, and kept a close
association with Oxford Group founder Dr. Frank Buchman for 32 years. In
Way to Go: Adventures in Search of God's Will, Blake wrote this about
searching for the will of God:
It is the fulfillment of the promise Jesus made when he said the Holy
Spirit would come and teach [p. 64].
Every day I pray for God to guide and direct my thoughts. So I set aside
a time for quiet each day in order to let it happen. My conviction is,
however, that I am more likely to be receptive if I have begun the day in
a disciplined way to listen in the morning [p. 65].
We began by reading the Bible, praying, and then being quiet. After about
three thoughts had occurred to me, it became more difficult to receive a
further one without forgetting those that had come before. So we found it
would clear our minds for some new thought if we made notes on what had
already come [p. 66; bolding added].
A guide book that came out of Sam Shoemaker's Calvary House (headquarters
of the Oxford Group in America), said:
The more general results of the Quiet Time are: (1) A firsthand
experience of God through Christ, the Bible, prayer and the listening for
the voice of the Holy Spirit. . . . [Howard J. Rose, The Quiet Time, last
page; bolding added].
Very simple. Read the Bible. Pray. Listen. (Write). Sam Shoemaker
described it with equal simplicity in The Conversion of the Church, pp.
59 to 61:
Listening became the dominant note. Not the exclusive note: for there was
Bible study first, taking a book and studying it straight through; there
was ordinary prayer, confession, petition, thanksgiving, intercession.
But the bulk of the time is listening. Most of us find it indispensable
to have a loose-leaf notebook, in which to write down the things which
come to us [bolding added].
Very simple. Read the Bible. Pray. Listen. Write! And Dr. Bob followed
suit:
Dr. Bob's morning devotion consisted of a short prayer, a 20-minute study
of a familiar verse from the Bible, and a quiet period of waiting for
directions as to where he, that day, should find use for his talent [DR.
BOB and the Good Oldtimers, p. 314; bolding added].
Very simple. Read the Bible. Pray. Listen!
How They Did These Specific Things During Meditation
Study the Bible: There were many instructive books and pamphlets
available to early AAs that made practical suggestions for Bible study.
One of the principal ones was edited by Oxford Group leader and writer
Roger Hicks (who had been with the Oxford Group team that came to Akron
in 1933). Significantly, it was titled: How To Read The Bible and was
available from "The Oxford Group" at Berkeley Square in London. Roger
Hicks provided a very specific guide to study of the Book of Acts, and
covered many other topical Bible sections as well. He cited, as sources
of the Oxford Group's biblical ideas, some of its most popular books of
the day (When Man Listens by Cecil Rose; Life Began Yesterday by Stephen
Foote; For Sinners Only by A. J. Russell; The God Who Speaks by Canon B.
H. Streeter; among others). Anne Smith (Dr. Bob's wife) had recommended
to early AAs in her journal that they start their Bible study with the
Book of Acts; follow up with the Gospels and then the Epistles of Paul;
leave Revelation alone for a while; but be sure to read Psalms and
Proverbs. Sam Shoemaker strongly recommended using Donald W. Carruthers'
How to Find Reality in Your Morning Devotions. Carruthers stated:
Regard the Bible as God's case-book, recording the experiences of various
men in finding God as well as the repeated instances of God's revealing
more and more of Himself to men. . . . Be sure you have some definite
plan of approach to the Word. Then work your plan. Make as study of (A)
The Bible as a whole, or (B) The Individual Books, or (C) The Personality
Delineated, or (D) The Evident Principles set forth, or (E) The Unfolding
of God's Promises [p. 1].
Shoemaker himself, his Assistant Minister W. Irving Harris, and other
Shoemaker people all had a crack at how and where to study the Bible.
Furthermore, either Shoemaker or Frank Buchman had Rev. Cleve Hicks lead
Bible study at Oxford Group house-parties. And Dr. Buchman hired a famous
Bible teacher-Miss Mary Angevine-to teach Bible to Oxford Group people to
get them sharp on God's Word. Both Anne Smith and A.A.'s Big Book
suggested the use of "helpful" books, and this certainly was part of the
widespread use of The Upper Room, My Utmost for His Highest, and The
Runner's Bible for pertinent verses and further study. Details can be
found in the following titles by Dick B.: Anne Smith's Journal; Why Early
A.A. Succeeded; The Good Book and The Big Book; By the Power of God; and
The Books Early AAs Read for Spiritual Growth.
Pray: In How to Find Reality in Your Morning Devotions, Carruthers
suggested "four steps in the process" of prayer: (1) Get "tuned in," by
which he suggested reading well known passages from the Word that bring
God close to you; reading the words of some hymn that makes it easier for
you to think high thoughts; beginning prayers with thanksgiving and make
your confession of sins and failures, (2) Pray for the day's special
opportunities and perplexities and ask God's blessing on your
appointments, on your period of refreshment, and on the particular
burdens the day is to lay upon you. (3) Pray for the progress of the
Kingdom at Home and Abroad, the Problems of Your Community, The Peace of
the World, The Church of the Lord Jesus, The Spread of Christ's Message,
and so on. (4) Pray for those you love most in the world, that the Truth
may come home to those who have not found Him great and good and near.
There are many categories of prayer, suggested prayers and methods of
prayer, and even daily prayers suggested in the Bible devotionals AAs
used each day. The important thing to note is that healing, forgiveness,
deliverance, guidance, strength, and needs are all appropriate (See for
specific details and discussion, Dick B., Anne Smith's Journal,
1933-1939).
Talk with God: When we briefly look at Scripture references, we will see
the ways in which we can talk with God and the ways in which He can
communicate with us. Unfortunately, many of today's discussions leave out
the Bible, the sonship with God, and fellowship with God and hence do not
present the full ingredients of what Sam Shoemaker called a "full-orbed
Quiet Time." But there are ample guides early AAs had available from
Shoemaker's writings and from such Oxford Group literature as Bremer
Hofmeyr's How to Listen, Forde's The Guidance of God, Leon's The
Philosophy of Courage, Cecil Rose's When Man Listens, Howard Rose's The
Quiet Time, Sangster's God Does Guide Us, Streeter's The God Who Speaks,
and Winslow's Vital Touch with God: How to Carry on Adequate Devotional
Life and When I Awake. A full and detailed description of the details of
Bible study, prayer, and talking with God can be found in the following
titles by Dick B.: Good Morning!: Quiet Time, Morning Watch, Meditation,
and Early A.A.; The Oxford Group and Alcoholics Anonymous; and New Light
on Alcoholism: God, Sam Shoemaker, and A.A.
What God Said in the Bible Was the Real Guide
We haven't found anyone in the Oxford Group, the Sam Shoemaker circle, or
early A.A. who was presumptuous enough to make up the reading to be done,
the prayers to be uttered, or the listening techniques without reference
to the specifics in the Bible about attaining status as a child of God
and following God's directions. The biblical references are amply covered
in Dick B., The Good Book and The Big Book, Turning Point, and Good
Morning. So there is no need to enlarge this article with lengthy
citations. But there is profit in noting these conditions God laid down
and which were often quoted in Oxford Group, Shoemaker, and devotional
literature.
. "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for
they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are
spiritually discerned" (1 Cor 2:14).
One not born again of the spirit of God could whistle Dixie before he
could receive, understand, or witness to the Word of God, prayer to God,
or communications from God.
We know God. We love Jesus. But the Spirit seems an unreal accessory in a
theological formula. The Spirit giveth life. He is God's Messenger. The
Spirit has been given to illumine the Word, to bring the Truth to light
and to teach us how to pray. The Spirit guides men (Carruthers, How to
Find Reality, supra, p. 7). Rom. 12: 2: "Be transformed in nature" . . .
2 Cor. 5:14-15: "There is a new creation whenever a man comes to be in
Christ". . . Eph. 2:1-10: "God's gift" . . . Phil. 3:7-16: "Knowing
Christ Jesus my Lord." (Roger Hicks, How to Study the Bible, supra, p.
32). The Conditions for an Effective Quiet Time: The whole-hearted giving
oneself to Jesus Christ, the daily offering of ourselves, our souls and
bodies in His service (Gal. 2:20; Romans 12:1-2). Howard J. Rose, The
Quiet Time, supra, p. 2).
Some of the Scripture that called for a new birth through believing on
Jesus, obedience, and a turning to God for meditation in His word, to
speak to Him, and to hear from Him:
. Ye must be born again (John 3:7--frequently cited and discussed by Rev.
Shoemaker)
. That if thou wilt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt
believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt
be saved (Romans 10:9--"the word of faith" discussed and cited by
Winslow, Why I Believe in the Oxford Group, and others).
. Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people
(Jeremiah 7:23).
. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own
understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy
paths (Proverbs 3:5-6).
. My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I
direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up (Psalm 5:3).
. Speak, Lord; for thy servant heareth (1 Samuel 3:9).
. O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all day (Psalm 119:97).
. Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to
be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15).
Conclusion
In today's A.A., you cannot say the foregoing comments are representative
of the Big Book text, the beliefs of most AAs, or their "prayer and
meditation" practices. You can say, however, that these are the things
they pioneers did, that they studied, that they believed, and that they
used with great success. And not to know these roots is, for some,
walking into a tangled bunch of roots without understanding one sure way
out that worked from 1935 to 1939. The tangled roots certainly exist for
the confused newcomer entering from a Christian background, some
knowledge of the Bible, and a desire to retain his belief system while
pursuing today's A.A. Dick B.: Email: dickb@dickb.com; URL:
http://www.dickb.com/index.shtml.
Contact:
The Legacy Group of Alcoholics Anonymous © 2005