"The prayer of the beginner is often chatty, filled with intellectual words and images. We night have long monologues with God. We might ‘chew’ on a Scripture passage, mining its depths and challenges. We might have a long list of petitions for which we pray. We might think over the past twenty-four hours and see how God sent grace and angels into our lives. These kinds of prayer, in which we do all the work, are traditionally known as discursive meditation.

"Teresa of Avila makes clear that if we commit to such prayer on a daily basis, within three months, we will find it hard to maintain. Indeed, it will become more and more dissatisfying. We will experience boredom and dryness. …

"Our continual response to any form of dryness, aridity or boredom in prayer is fidelity, fidelity, fidelity. We are challenged to stay faithful to the daily practice. …

“The beginner’s dryness in prayer is actually God’s grace and invitation to simpler prayer.”

Haase, Albert. Coming Home to Your True Self: Leaving the Emptiness of False Attractions. Foreword by M. Robert Mulholland, Jr. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Books, 2008, p. 158.