Growing Closer to God with Guided Meditation
Welcome to the new season of the podcast, now titled "Growing Closer to God with Guided Meditation"!
Join your host, Pastor Robert Young, as we embark on a journey of spiritual exploration and renewal. This podcast is designed to help you deepen your faith and find inner peace through calming, reflective, and transformative meditative practices inspired by scripture.
Our Evolution
While the podcast, formerly known as Not Your Parent's Religion, focused in Seasons 1 and 2 on correcting misinformation and myths about religious beliefs and the teaching of Jesus Christ, the program has evolved. In Season 3, we began drawing closer to God with guided meditations, exploring all the details of why and how to meditate, and discussing the Biblical origins of Christian meditations.
With over 30 years of experience in Church planting and mentoring other Pastors, and 30+ years of training leaders in evangelism/discipleship, Pastor Young is here to guide you through these moments of stillness and connection with God.
What to Expect in Season 4
We are excited to return with Season 4 starting Sunday, October 5. We will continue to offer a structured weekly schedule:
- Sundays: Our weekly guided meditation episode.
- Monday through Friday: Daily devotions and reflections that expand on the topic of the Sunday meditations.
- Wednesdays: Audio episodes of our House Church series. This series reflects the Bible's teaching that believers should gather together for corporate worship, fellowship, encouragement, and even admonishment.
For those seeking an enhanced experience, we are adding video versions of the meditations and devotions to our Patreon page. These videos are designed to give you a more immersive experience as you meditate on the Father, His teachings, and His presence.
Tune in each week as we lead you on this path to connecting more deeply with God.
Growing Closer to God with Guided Meditation
All Night Prayer? Daily Devotion | Thursday
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What if the guidance you need is already present, waiting in the quiet? We revisit Samuel’s night encounter and explore why stillness—especially in the evening—can sharpen our spiritual hearing. Instead of adding more noise to our days, we practice subtraction: fewer inputs, gentler breath, and a simple prayer of availability that shifts the heart from striving to intimacy.
We walk through the essentials of night prayer, showing how the world’s demands fade and the inner life becomes attentive. Rather than chasing spiritual performance, we lean into listening. You’ll hear how a posture of “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening” transforms prayer from a checklist into a relationship marked by presence, clarity, and peace. Along the way, we offer a two-minute guided reflection to help you identify where God is inviting you to slow down. We consider practical rhythms—turning off the radio during a commute, ending the day with gratitude, or pausing before sleep—to create sacred margins where the gentle whisper often rises above the static.
Our closing prayer gathers the theme into one request: nearness. With simple words, we ask the Father to quiet our spirits and tune our attention, trusting that wisdom and guidance emerge not from effort but from availability. If you’ve felt stuck, scattered, or spiritually hurried, this conversation offers a calm path forward—anchored in Scripture, grounded in practice, and aimed at a deeper friendship with God.
If this resonates, subscribe and share it with someone who needs a quieter night and a clearer voice. Leave a review to tell us where you’re choosing to slow down next.
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(585) 331-3424
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Why Stillness Matters
Intimacy Through Listening
Night Prayer And God’s Nearness
Two-Minute Reflection Prompt
Closing Prayer
Pastor Robert YoungSamuel, chapter three, verse ten. Speak the Lord. For your servant is listening. Samuel heard God's voice at night. Not because God only speaks at night, but because Samuel was still enough to listen. Night prayer cultivates intimacy because it removes distractions. The noise of the world feeds. The demands of the day fall away. The heart becomes attentive. Intimacy with God is not built through striving. It is built through listening. Samuel didn't perform, he didn't impress, he simply made himself available. Night prayer teaches you to slow down, to listen deeply, and to recognize the gentle whisper of God. It is in these quiet hours that God often reveals his heart, his guidance, and his nearness. Let's take two minutes to reflect on the following question. Where in your life is God inviting you to slow down and listen more deeply. Again, I hear God's voice with clarity and peace. Our closing prayer. Father, draw me close. Quiet my spirit. Help me hear your voice with clarity, tenderness, and trust. For Christ's sake. Amen.