Come near to God and God will come near to you.
– James 4:8
Stilling: Being present to God
Begin with a simple stilling exercise. 
You may want to light a candle, or say a short prayer as you intentionally place yourself in the presence of the Holy One.
Find a comfortable position and be still for a couple of minutes. Concentrate on your breathing – slowly, in and out. Relax your muscles. Don’t worry about any thoughts that come into your head; acknowledge them, then come back to your stilling exercise.
Say the following prayer as you commit to being in God’s presence:
Dear God,
You sustain me and feed me;
Like a shepherd you guide me;
You lead me to an oasis of green,
To lie down by restful waters.
Dwell in me that I may dwell in you.
From Jim Cotter, Psalms for a pilgrim people, Psalm 23
Attachment
Chapter seven of Growing up to be a child explores a child’s social development, how she learns to relate to other people, and in particular, the importance of attachment relationships:
In essence, attachment refers to a close emotional proximity between one person and another. We see this most clearly between a baby and her mother. The attachment bond provides security for the baby, along with emotional closeness that works both ways. Interestingly, attachment only really becomes significant in the context of separation. Indeed, the very purpose of attachment is to provide a secure base from which the developing child can explore the world; its ultimate goal is to enable independence. This is really quite important.
A young child who does not feel a strong, secure attachment to her mother (or another primary caregiver) will not feel able to step away from that base, and so will not learn to explore the world. In contrast, a baby who has a secure attachment relationship can launch out, confident that her mother will still be there if something goes wrong. The baby crawls away from her mother to explore. The moment the baby senses any threat, she scuttles back to the security of her mother. As time goes on, this attachment relationship is strengthened, and the baby ventures further and further afield, each time coming back to her mother if she starts feeling anxious or if anything threatens her. Eventually that security allows her to separate completely from her mother for prolonged periods of time, still confident that her mother will be there if she needs her.
I go on to explore how an understanding of the concept of attachment might help us in learning to relate to God, and in understanding the way God relates to us:
I think God wants us to develop secure attachment relationships with him, and this is perhaps a part of what Jesus is calling us to when he tells us to become like little children. He wants us to be secure in the knowledge that God is there and is caring for us. From that base, he wants us to be able to step out confidently into the situations God places us in.
That, however, is dependent on God being attuned to us and demonstrating qualities that foster a secure attachment. Thus we need to know that God is faithful, that he will not change, that his attitude to us is caring and responsive, that he will neither harm us nor turn away from us when we turn to him, and that he will be there when we need him.
Prayer: Encountering God
Choose one of the two exercises below as a contemplative approach to prayer: Encountering God through writing a letter (epistolic prayer) or Encountering God in Scripture (Imaginative prayer)
Response:
Read this psalm out loud, using the refrain to affirm your trust in the God of compassion and love.
I love you, O God my strength,
my crag, my fortress, and my deliverer,
the rock to which I cling for refuge,
my shield, my saviour, and my stronghold.
I called to you with loud lamentation,
and you sprang the trap which held me fast.
Refrain: Praise to the God of compassion and love,
the power that rescues and saves.
The waves of death swept over my head,
the floods of chaos surged around me.
The cord of the grave tightened around my neck,
the snares of death sprang shut in my path.
In my anguish I called to you, O God:
I cried in desperation for your help.
Refrain: Praise to the God of compassion and love,
the power that rescues and saves.
Your ear was closer to me than I thought:
you heard me from the depths of my heart.
Then did it seem that the earth was quaking:
the foundations of the hills were shaken:
they trembled because of the power of your anger.
Refrain: Praise to the God of compassion and love,
the power that rescues and saves.
Down you came like a dragon,
swooping on the wings of the wind.
Smoke went forth from your nostrils,
and a consuming fire from your mouth.
You parted the heavens and came down,
riding upon the cherubim,
thick darkness under your feet.
Your voice roared through the heavens,
sharp arrows of lightning,
roll upon roll of thunder,
laying bare the foundations of the world.
Refrain: Praise to the God of compassion and love,
the power that rescues and saves.
Like an eagle you swooped down and took me,
lifting me from the jaws of the sea.
You delivered me from all that imprisoned me,
from those I thought stronger than I.
They fell upon me in the day of calamity,
yet you rescued me and led me to safety.
You brought me into a broad place,
you gave me freedom because you delight in me.
Refrain: Praise to the God of compassion and love,
the power that rescues and saves.
I deserve no reward for anything I have done,
no recompense for the cleanness of my hands.
Have I kept to your ways, O God,
and not turned aside to do evil?
Was my eye always on your command,
did I take your wisdom to my heart?
I dare claim no innocence in your presence,
corrupt have been the deeds of my hands.
Refrain: Praise to the God of compassion and love,
the power that rescues and saves.
Yet still you delight in me – I am astonished –
loving and pursuing the one you are creating,
yearning for me to live in your image.
You are faithful even when I betray you,
when I feel the wrath of your love.
You carefully smooth out my crookedness,
forgiving my sin and wrongdoing.
Refrain: Praise to the God of compassion and love,
the power that rescues and saves.
Such are the faces of your Love,
each reflected in the pool of my being.
For you will save a humble people,
and bring down the high looks of the proud.
You light a lamp for my path,
you make my darkness to be bright.
With your help I can meet all that comes,
with the help of my God I can face evil’s defences.
Refrain: Praise to the God of compassion and love,
the power that rescues and saves.
Closing: Going on in God’s presence
Finish your time by saying the Lord’s Prayer.