Experience Over Knowledge
Thursday, February 19, 2026
Trappist monk Thomas Merton (1915–1968) did much to recover the contemplative tradition within the Christian religion. Translating a collection of the sayings of the desert fathers, Merton embraced their style of teaching through short stories or sayings, emphasizing the importance of experiencing their wisdom for ourselves:
Our time is in desperate need of this kind of simplicity. It needs to recapture something of the experience reflected in these lines. The word to emphasize is experience. The few short phrases collected in this volume have little or no value merely as information. It would be futile to skip through these [aphorisms] and lightly take note of the fact that the Fathers said this and this. What good will it do us to know merely that such things were once said? The important thing is that they were lived. That they flow from an experience of the deeper levels of life. [1]
Benedicta Ward, a scholar of the desert mystics, describes how the simple language of the desert abbas and ammas can mask the deep wisdom they contain:
These sayings preserve the unstructured wisdom of the desert in simple language…. They are not always consistent with one another and they always need to be read within the context in which they were given. They are not abstract ideas to be applied indiscriminately, but instances of what was said in particular situations.
The essence of the spirituality of the desert is that it was not taught but caught; it was a whole way of life. It was not an esoteric doctrine or a predetermined plan of ascetic practice that would be learned and applied. The Father, or ‘abba,’ was not the equivalent of the Zen Buddhist ‘Master.’ It is important to understand this, because there really is no way of talking about the way of prayer or the spiritual teaching of the Desert Fathers. They did not have a systematic way; they had the hard work and experience of a lifetime of striving to re-direct every aspect of body, mind, and soul to God, and that is what they talked about. That, also, is what they meant by prayer: prayer was not an activity undertaken for a few hours each day, it was a life continually turned towards God.
Abba Agathon said, “Prayer is hard work and a great struggle to one’s last breath” and there is the story told about Abba Lot:
Abba Joseph came to Abba Lot and said to him: “Father, according to my strength I keep a moderate rule of prayer and fasting, quiet and meditation, and as far as I can I control my imagination; what more must I do?” And the old man rose and held his hands toward the sky so that his fingers became like flames of fire and he said, “If you will, you shall become all flame.” [2]
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Sarah Young Jesus Calling
Jesus Calling: February 19th, 2026
Jesus Calling: February 19
You are feeling weighed down by a plethora of problems, both big and small. They seem to require more and more of your attention, but you must not give in to those demands. When the difficulties in your life feel as if they’re closing in on you, break free by spending quality time with Me. You need to remember who I AM in all My Power and Glory. Then, humbly bring Me your prayers and petitions. Your problems will pale when you view them in the Light of My Presence. You can learn to be joyful in Me, your Savior, even in the midst of adverse circumstances. Rely on Me, your Strength; I make your feet like the feet of a deer, enabling you to go on the heights.
RELATED SCRIPTURE:
Exodus 3:14 NLT
14 God replied to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. Say this to the people of Israel: I am has sent me to you.”
Habakkuk 3:17-19 NLT
17 Even though the fig trees have no blossoms,
and there are no grapes on the vines;
even though the olive crop fails,
and the fields lie empty and barren;
even though the flocks die in the fields,
and the cattle barns are empty,
18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord!
I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!
19 The Sovereign Lord is my strength!
He makes me as surefooted as a deer,
able to tread upon the heights.
