The Prayer Life of Amma Sarah: The Desert Mother Who Stood by the River

Introduction

Amma Sarah of the Desert (4th-5th century AD) , one of the Desert Mothers and a source of wisdom for early Christian spirituality, is a striking example of how contemplative prayer can change people’s lives.

Though historical details of her life remain largely unknown, the sayings attributed to her in the Apophthegmata Patrum (Sayings of the Desert Fathers and Mothers) reveal a woman of profound spiritual depth, unflinching courage, and mystical insight. Her life demonstrates that authentic contemplation produces not ethereal detachment but concrete wisdom, humility, and spiritual authority that transcends gender, social status, and human expectation.

The Desert: Landscape of Transformation

Amma Sarah lived a solitary ascetic life in the Egyptian desert near the Nile River during the fourth century or beginning of the fifth century—the zenith of the monastic life of the desert. We have no record of Sarah’s history before joining the monastic community, but the directions and recommendations are a strong indicator that she was a deeply spiritual person and a highly sought-after mentor for other monks and nuns.

Sarah’s spirituality is greatly influenced by her understanding of the desert itself, which is a harsh landscape that is unbearably hot during the day and freezing at night, offers little food or water, and is the environment in which comfortable illusions die and true faith is created. Following the pattern established in the Bible for the encounters of men and women with God in the wilderness, Sarah ran from civilization and the distractions of civilization in order to seek God alone in the wilderness.

The wilderness motif pervades Scripture:

• Israel’s formation: Forty years in the desert transformed slaves into a nation (Exodus-Deuteronomy)
• Elijah’s refuge: Finding God in the wilderness cave (1 Kings 19:9-13)
• John the Baptist’s preparation: The desert as preaching ground (Matthew 3:1-3)
• Jesus’s temptation: Forty days in wilderness before ministry (Matthew 4:1-11)
• Paul’s formation: Three years in Arabian wilderness after conversion (Galatians 1:17-18)

The wilderness offers a setting that strips the individual of all superficiality and shows what is truly within the heart. As Moses told Israel:

The Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart

Deuteronomy 8:2

Sarah embraced the difficult circumstances of life in the wilderness not out of a hatred for creation, but out of a love for the Creator. She recognized that the distractions of the world are vital to create spiritual clarity and deepen her communion with God.

Sixty Years by the River: Perseverance in Prayer

The most significant record regarding Amma Sarah is that she lived near the river for sixty years as an ascetic. This sixty-year period of contemplative life presents a number of important spiritual principles.

The Test of Time

Sixty years as a desert monastic demonstrate that authentic spirituality does not come from enthusiasm and excitement at the initiation stage of a journey, but from the faithful continuation of a journey in faith for a long time. Everyone can experience a period of rigorous discipline for a period of time. However, to sustain that discipline for a number of decades involves true spiritual transformation.

This longevity fulfills Jesus’s parable of the sower: the seed that produces abundant fruit is “the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience” (Luke 8:15). The key word is “patience” —spiritual fruit requires time.

Paul similarly emphasized endurance:

Let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart

Galatians 6:9

Sarah didn’t lose heart through six decades of desert solitude, demonstrating the perseverance that authentic contemplative prayer cultivates.

The Significance of the River

The choice of living by the river versus living deep in the desert suggests that Sarah had both practical wisdom and perhaps some symbolic implications for her choice of location. The river provided:

Physical sustenance: Water for drinking and possibly fish for food

Agricultural possibility: Perhaps a small garden in the riverbank soil

Rhythmic presence: The river’s constant flow as companion and contemplative focus

Biblical resonance: Rivers as symbols of God’s blessing and presence (Psalm 1:3, 46:4, Revelation 22:1)

From one perspective, it may seem that she decided to place her living area next to a river in order to be available to those who sought spiritual direction and support. Similar to John the Baptist, who performed baptism in the Jordan River and was generally accessible to the public, Sarah made the decision to create a contemplative environment for her life, but at the same time make herself accessible (to a certain degree) to those who made the effort to seek her.

Another possibility for the importance of living near the river may have been that the flow of the river reminds and consistently calls attention to God’s ongoing working in the lives of His creation. The river serves as an important visual symbol of the spiritual journey of the individual moving from the transience of life and the struggles of this world towards the ocean of God’s love and grace. Many of the desert Fathers and Mothers frequently used creation as a tool to assist in what the Creator was revealing through creation.

The Battle with Demons: Spiritual Warfare in Prayer

In the desert, the well-known quotation attributed to Amma Sarah pertains to the war with Satan. The two desert elders came to her hoping to humiliate her by suggesting she was proud. When confronted with their charge, Sarah responded:

According to nature I am a woman, but not according to my thoughts. It is you who are women.

Then she added this remarkable testimony:

For thirteen years I have waged war against the demon of fornication. I have never prayed to God to take this warfare away from me, but I have prayed, 'God, give me strength.

Thirteen Years of Temptation

Sarah’s statement demonstrates incredible honesty and wisdom regarding her struggle for nearly a quarter century (thirteen of her twenty-five years as a monk) with very powerful sexual temptations. Rather than depict herself as someone who obtained a quick victory, she appears to have fought hard for her purity.

This honesty mirrors the New Testament regarding spiritual warfare. Paul confessed his own struggles:

I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good...O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?

Romans 7:21, 24

The length of time—thirteen years—was no arbitrary choice; desert monasticism taught that during the final stage of spiritual development, prior to achieving a breakthrough, demons would constantly assault because they were testing a person’s sincerity toward God. By staying true to her calling through this entire time, Sarah demonstrated that she was a true monk.

The Prayer for Strength, Not Removal

The most astounding part of Sarah’s experience was her understanding of how to pray. Instead of asking God to remove the temptation (which would seem the most obvious request), she prayed for God to supply her with enough strength to resist the temptation of fornication. By following this approach, Sarah demonstrated several truths:

Temptation serves spiritual growth: TEnduring through temptation can strengthen character. Regarding the test that was necessary before establishing righteousness, James said:

Count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience

James 1:2-3

Victory requires divine empowerment: WWe cannot overcome through willpower alone but need God’s grace. Paul stated:

My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness

2 Corinthians 12:9

Struggle maintains humility: If you instantaneously conquered the temptation, then it is possible that pride would replace the allure of fornication. The constant struggle to overcome the temptations will keep one entirely dependent upon God, plus deter a person from becoming proud and arrogant in their profession of faith in Christ.

Resistance builds strength: Just like a weightlifter builds muscle through training against resistance, spiritual strength is built as one continues to resist temptation.

Sarah’s attitude aligns with Jesus’ instruction to “watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation” (Matthew 26:41). She prayed not for elimination of testing but for grace to pass it successfully.

The Nature of the Warfare

As indicated, Sarah endured the spiritual warfare known as “the demon of fornication,” and this is representative of the spiritual conflicts faced by all selected monastic celibates. In the church and ascetic literature of the desert period, it is consistently recorded that many celibates struggled to maintain their commitment to chastity and were under constant and intense assault by demons in conjunction with their commitment.

Sarah was not the only person in the church struggling; the church’s father of monasticism, Anthony the Great, likewise struggled against sexual temptation and temptations from the demonic. Many desert fathers and mothers reported similar struggles, and all of them believed that spiritual warfare would particularly increase just prior to a person entering into a new area of faith and confidence in their walk with God.

Paul recognized the same reality:

We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places

Ephesians 6:12

Sarah’s sixty years beside the river included decades of this invisible combat—prayer as battlefield, the cell as arena, demonic suggestions as the enemy’s weapons, and divine grace as her shield and strength.

Humility: The Foundation of Contemplation

A second example of the centralized nature of humility in true spirituality is found in the following:

If I prayed God that all people should approve of my conduct, I should find myself a penitent at the door of each one, but I shall rather pray that my heart may be pure towards all.

The Trap of Human Approval

In Sarah’s statement earlier, one can also understand that when any will put their trust in God to guide their life, there is a high likelihood of being let down by the people surrounding them. If a person seeks the approval of every person, they will eventually become destroyed spiritually because of exhaustion from trying to satisfy every person.

Jesus asked:

Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the false prophets

Luke 6:26

Universal approval often indicates either extraordinary sanctity or compromised truth—and more often the latter.

Paul similarly rejected people-pleasing:

Do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ

Galatians 1:10

People receiving praise from others indicates either that they are extremely righteous or totally deceptive. In most situations, the false prophets are the ones receiving praises.

The Alternative: Purity of Heart

Sarah sought purity of heart rather than seeking human validation and approval. Sarah’s response of being pure in heart is consistent with the beatitude that Jesus spoke:

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God

Matthew 5:8

Purity of heart meant:

Undivided devotion: Loving God supremely, not competing loyalties

Genuine love: Caring authentically for others’ good, not manipulating for approval

Freedom from resentment: Releasing bitterness when others misunderstand or criticize

Transparent motives: Acting from love and obedience, not image management

This interior focus distinguished authentic spirituality from religious performance. The Pharisees pursued external righteousness and human praise (Matthew 6:1-5), but Sarah pursued hidden transformation known fully only to God.

Her prayer— “that my heart may be pure towards all” —demonstrates mature contemplative wisdom. She asked not for favorable circumstances (universal approval) but for interior grace (genuine love). This reflects Paul’s instruction:

As we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith

Galatians 6:10

Authority Through Spiritual Maturity

The accounts of Amma Sarah’s interactions reveal that Sarah exercised a genuine authority that was universally recognized. Praying monks actively sought to know, and gain wisdom, from her, even as they were willing to accept her negative responses to them even in the context of the patriarchal society they lived within. This “authority” was based on Sarah’s deep spirituality and not on any institutional or hierarchical power.

The Encounter with the Elders

The encounter between Sarah and the two elders who attempted to bring her down by accusing her of being proud illustrates a variety of observations:

Testing spiritual authority: The elders questioned whether a woman could legitimately possess spiritual wisdom

Gender prejudice: Their assumption that her confidence indicated pride rather than legitimate spiritual maturity

Divine vindication: Sarah’s response revealed their own spiritual poverty—they were the ones thinking carnally ( “according to the flesh” ), not her

Her reply— “According to nature I am a woman, but not according to my thoughts” —did not mean that she was denying her femininity; rather, it affirmed that a woman’s gender was secondary to the spiritual reality of being in Christ. The apostle Paul states:

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus

Galatians 3:28

Sarah’s declaration of “spiritual authority” was based on her genuine transformation through prayer and warfare. As a result of her battling and praying, she had achieved a level of Christ-like character that was far superior to the average spiritual authority of her male counterpart and, therefore, rejected cultural gender stereotypes.

True Authority vs. Worldly Power

The desert mothers and fathers have modeled the vast differences between true spiritual authority and worldly power. Some of the more prominent differences are as follows:

Worldly power: Imposed through positions of power, through manipulation, or intimidation

Spiritual authority: Recognized through evident wisdom, character, and divine anointing

Worldly power: Seeks to dominate and control

Spiritual authority: Serves and liberates

Worldly power: Depends on external symbols and titles

Spiritual authority: Flows from interior transformation and communion with God

Sarah exercised the latter of each. People actively sought her out to see how they might leverage the Lord in their lives. They sought her counsel because her words were full of truth, an example of a life transformed by the grace of God, and that her prayers truly accessed the power of the Lord.

Jesus made the distinction:

You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant

Matthew 20:25-26

Prayer as Identity

Within Sarah’s sayings, a common theme is that a person’s identity is shaped and defined through a conscious daily communion with God through contemplative prayer. Her response to the elders— “According to nature I am a woman, but not according to my thoughts” —reveals that decades of prayer had transformed how she understood herself.

Transcending Cultural Categories

By being intimately connected with God through contemplative communion, Sarah became aware of her true identity as a beloved child of God. Although she may have physically been born a female, her true identity was in Christ Jesus.

This didn’t deny her biological femininity but relativized it. Her essential identity was “in Christ” —a reality that transcended all secondary categories. As Paul wrote:

If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new

2 Corinthians 5:17

For Sarah, prayer was not simply limited to what she needed from God, but prayer was also how she discovered that God is the source of her being as well as the source of her true identity. Sarah found that through being in God’s presence, the cultural limitations (which were based on societal perceptions of her), no longer constrained or limited her life.

Thought Patterns Transformed

Sarah’s statement “not according to my thoughts” indicates that years spent in silent and contemplative prayer had transformed Sarah’s thinking process because it had renewed her mind. Although she continued to live in her physical body as a female, her thought patterns had been liberated from the feminine stereotypes of society, and, in fact, from all worldly patterns.

This reflects Paul’s exhortation:

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God

Romans 12:2

As a result of many years of studying Scripture, enduring trials, and spending time seeking God’s aid in overcoming temptations, Sarah’s mind was gradually being transformed to think like Christ. Therefore, Sarah thought differently than what society expected her to think because she was a woman; instead, Sarah thought like a woman who had personally experienced the presence of the living God in her life.

Solitude: The Crucible of Transformation

The fact that Sarah decided to follow a solitary way of life (as opposed to joining a monastery like the Pachomian Monks) demonstrates where her spiritual priorities were centered. There were certain unique opportunities and experiences that came with the use of a solitary monastic lifestyle.

The Gift of Silence

By living alone by the river, Sarah had the experience of being in long periods of silence, hearing only the sounds of nature (running water, wind in the trees, the occasional bird or animal). This long time of silence was filled with God’s presence and was the place where she could hear His “still small voice” (1 Kings 19:12).

The psalmist declared:

Be still, and know that I am God

Psalm 46:10

In the silence and stillness, we discover what we cannot see because of the chaos around us. That Sarah spent sixty years in silence prepared her to hear from God.

In the current age of constant noise, extended by technology, entertainment, and endless information, most Christians have very little concept of silence. Sarah is an example for us today and calls us to create our own quiet places, so we can learn to hear from God and truly listen to Him.

Wrestling with Self

Being alone provided Sarah the opportunity to look at herself without the distraction of others around her. In community, we may be tempted to focus on the failings of others instead of focusing on ourselves and developing self-knowledge. When we are alone, we must wrestle with our pride, lust, anger, fear, and doubt without finding refuge or excuse.

The pain of wrestling with herself dramatically impacted Sarah’s growth as a person of faith. Just as Jacob wrestled with God until daybreak (Genesis 32:24-30), Sarah wrestled alone until she received true transformation. The early church fathers and mothers understood that we must “descend into hell” and confess our brokenness before we can experience genuine resurrection.

Dependence on God Alone

Being alone created a radical dependence on God for companionship, wisdom, provision, and protection. With no one around her for support, schedule, or fellowship, Sarah learned that God alone could fully provide for her needs.

Sarah lived what the psalmist wrote when he said:

Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You

Psalm 73:25

Sarah learned that God was enough for her—her true treasure—satisfying her every hunger and fulfilling every sense of emptiness.

Contemplative Practices: What Sarah Might Have Done

The details of Sarah’s daily practices of devotion to God have not been preserved in written form, but the patterns of life in the desert demonstrate how she likely practiced the way she lived.

Scripture Meditation

She would have memorized the Scriptures, particularly the Psalms and Gospels and the letters of the apostles. The desert monastics could not read, so someone would read the Scriptures to them until they memorized them; if they were able to read, they were continually studying.

She would have regularly meditated on the Scriptures and would have repeated parts of them back to God—the practice was referred to as melete in Greek—vocalizing and contemplating the Scriptures so much that they became part of who she was.

The Jesus Prayer

While there is no way to know if Sarah actually used this exact prayer form, it is likely she did invoke the name of Jesus continuously as a means of prayer and to remind herself of God’s protection. The prayer would later be identified in Eastern Orthodoxy as: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner” but it is unknown if Sarah identified the prayer this way.

However, the use of the name of Jesus was an example of fulfilling the admonition to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17) by an inner, continuous invocation of Jesus’ name regardless of her outward activity.

Manual Labor

Like all desert mothers, Sarah would have worked on crafting items from reeds she gathered from the river, made small items for her home and for charitable purposes, and developed a small garden.. This was done for many reasons:

Economic support: Providing necessities and surplus for charity

Temptation resistance: Idleness being “the devil’s workshop,” work occupied the body

Humility training: Menial labor combating pride

Prayer rhythm: Repetitive work freeing the mind for meditation

The goal was integration—working and praying simultaneously, the hands busy while the heart worshiped.

Vigils and Night Prayer

Desert monastics typically arose during the night several times to pray, following the pattern of the psalmist: “At midnight I will rise to give thanks to You” (Psalm 119:62). he reasons the desert monks and Sarah would pray at night are:

Silence: The world slept, providing uninterrupted communion with God

Sacrifice: Giving up natural rest demonstrated devotion’s priority

Alertness: Nighttime prayer prevented spiritual drowsiness

Biblical pattern: Jesus prayed through the night (Luke 6:12); Anna “served God with fastings and prayers night and day” (Luke 2:37)

Sarah likely spent significant nighttime hours in prayer, particularly during her thirteen-year battle with temptation.

Fasting

The desert monks generally fasted by only eating one meal per day with some monks even eating only every few days. It is very likely that Sarah practiced this custom as well:

Fasting served multiple spiritual purposes:

Appetite discipline: Training the body to obey the spirit

Spiritual clarity: Reducing the “fog” excessive food creates

Solidarity with the poor: Experiencing hunger voluntarily

Biblical precedent: Moses (Exodus 34:28), Elijah (1 Kings 19:8), Jesus (Matthew 4:2), early church (Acts 13:2-3, 14:23)

The Desert Mothers: Sarah’s Context

Amma Sarah was one of many Desert Mothers—women who embraced monastic life in the Egyptian desert during the fourth and fifth centuries. Although the accounts left to us are mostly by men (due in part to the bias of male writers who chronicled the history), Amma Sarah and the other Desert Mothers are evidence that the desire to lead a contemplative life spans across gender.

Other Notable Desert Mothers

Amma Syncletica: The most notable of the Desert Mothers, Syncletica was famous for having an extensive collection of wise sayings mirroring those of her counterpart Anthony the Great.

Amma Theodora: Well known for being able to offer remarkable insight into Christian theology and her ability to apply Biblical wisdom to the daily lives of her followers.

Amma Matrona: Disguised as a male monk, Amma Matrona also pursued monastic life.

Amma Melania the Elder and Younger: Wealthy Romans who left behind their high societal status to seek solitude in the desert, the Melanias demonstrate how the Desert Mothers exemplified the level of spiritual maturity reached by women through the practice of contemplative prayer, spiritual combat, and intimate communion with God.

Their existence provided testimony to the prevailing cultural assumptions regarding the ability of women to attain and practice the highest levels of spirituality.

Gender and Spirituality

The inclusion of the entries of the Desert Mothers in the collection of sayings on the same level as their male counterparts affirms the Desert monastic movement’s acknowledgment of genuine spiritual authority, regardless of gender. When a woman demonstrated genuine transformation and wisdom, even patriarchal culture acknowledged her spiritual maturity.

This reflected early Christianity’s radical inclusiveness. Jesus taught women (Luke 10:39), appeared first to women after resurrection (John 20:11-18), and commissioned women as witnesses. Paul recognized women as co-workers in ministry (Romans 16:1-7, Philippians 4:2-3).

Although the church’s institutional structures very often have marginalized women, throughout the church’s history, the contemplative tradition has seen that, in prayer and in the union of one’s soul with God, one’s gender is unimportant when it comes to the reality of spiritual accomplishment.

Wisdom Preserved: The Legacy

Though few sayings attributed to Amma Sarah survive (approximately three main sayings preserved in various collections), their quality demonstrates why later generations valued her witness. Each saying contains profound spiritual wisdom distilled from decades of contemplative experience.

The Role of the Sayings Collections

The Apophthegmata Patrum ( “Sayings of the Desert Fathers and Mothers” ) has been created to preserve the oral tradition of the Desert Fathers and Mothers. When disciples approached the Desert Fathers and Mothers, they would often request a saying or piece of advice from an elder or monk (for example, they may ask “Speak a word to me” or “Give me a word” ). The elders would offer the disciples that guidance in an encouraging manner, providing for the disciples’ daily need for practical wisdom to combat temptations, to develop virtuous habits, to continue in prayer, and to draw closer to holiness.

Although the Desert Mothers and Fathers’ sayings were not systemic theology or abstract philosophy, they contained critical lessons to be learned in the daily battle against the temptations that we all face when trying to live as holy and virtuous people. The survival of Amma Sarah’s sayings indicates the significant value of her wisdom. During this period of history when so many women’s voices were lost to history, Amma Sarah’s sayings have continued to survive, and the truth contained within them transcends gender.

Oral Transmission

Amma Sarah’s sayings circulated orally before being recorded in written form in the late fifth and early sixth centuries. After being spoken to and taught by others, disciples would have memorized and repeated these sayings until they were able to pass on their wisdom to the next generation in their families.

This method of passing on oral histories has a precedent in the Bible. The teachings of Jesus existed as spoken words before being recorded in writing in the four Gospels. The Apostle Paul instructed Timothy:

The things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also

2 Timothy 2:2

That Amma Sarah’s sayings survived this process of selective retention is indicative of the significant spiritual and practical weight of her teachings.

Mystical Union: The Goal of Contemplation

Amma Sarah was born in a different era than we live in, but she had an active mystical life as a Christian mystic who followed a contemplative prayer discipline to seek union with God. Although specific descriptions of her mystical experiences are not preserved, her commitment to contemplative prayer for over fifty years shows that she sought this ultimate goal of Christian mysticism: to find a deep connection with God.

The Stages of Ascent

We can trace Sarah’s likely progression through the stages of asceticism, the intermediate stage of theoria, to the complete transformation of her soul into the divine (theosis) through the example of mystics like Evagrius Ponticus and John Cassian.

Praktike (Active Life): The early stage of battling passions, cultivating virtues, and establishing disciplined practices. Sarah’s thirteen-year war against fornication fits here.

Theoria (Contemplation): The intermediate stage where prayer becomes more intuitive, Scripture reveals deeper meanings, and God’s presence grows more tangible.

Theosis (Deification): The advanced stage of mystical union where the soul, while remaining created and distinct from God, participates so fully in divine life that it becomes “partaker of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4).

Sarah’s sixty years suggests she progressed through all these stages, moving from active warfare through contemplative deepening to mystical union.

Union Without Confusion

Eastern Christian mysticism, which Sarah’s desert tradition helped shape, emphasizes that mystical union doesn’t mean losing individual identity or becoming God. Rather, the soul maintains its created distinctness while enjoying intimate communion with the Creator.

Maximus the Confessor later articulated this as “becoming by grace what God is by nature” —sharing divine life without confusion of essences. Sarah, through decades of prayer, likely experienced this transforming intimacy where God’s will and hers became aligned, God’s thoughts shaped hers, and God’s love flowed through her toward others.

This fulfills Jesus’s prayer for His disciples:

That they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us

John 17:21

Mystical union is participatory unity, not identical essence.

Practical Applications from Amma Sarah’s Example

Pursue Long-Term Faithfulness

Allow for long-term, continuous commitment and discernment of progress rather than evaluating it according to short-term results.

Pray for Strength, Not Ease

When we experience challenges, we should ask God not to remove temptations, but to give us strength to endure.

Seek Purity of Heart Over Approval

We should not be focused on what people think; instead, we should focus on our own interior transformation.

Embrace Your Identity in Christ

As God’s most loved child redeemed through Christ.

Practice Strategic Silence

Establish intentional spaces of silence in our lives where we can listen to hear God’s voice and turn off all outside interruptions so we can generate experiences of true stillness within us.

Memorize and Meditate on Scripture

Practice meditating on God’s Word by storing it in our hearts through memorization; and throughout the day to meditate on it and allow it to determine how we think and behave.

Integrate Work and Prayer

Integrate daily work and prayer through offering everything we do as worship and through the practice of being aware that God’s presence is with us while we work.

Develop Spiritual Friendships

Cultivate wise spiritual friendships with other people regardless of gender, status, and/or ethnicity; because the truth knows no social boundaries.

Face Yourself Honestly

Face who we are in truth through engagement in solitary reflection and intentional silence. By facing ourselves honestly through silence, we will know who we are and will have the opportunities to experience genuine transformation.

Persevere Through Spiritual Warfare

Continue to fight against spiritual warfare, which is a result of the pursuit of holiness.

Value Women’s Spiritual Wisdom

Know that women in addition to men are spiritually gifted to teach, lead, and be mystics; therefore we can learn from both.

Trust God’s Sufficiency

Keep in mind that God is enough to meet every need; thus, wherever we find ourselves in our “desert,” we can rely on God being sufficient to sustain us.

Conclusion: The River Still Flows

Though Amma Sarah has been dead for over sixteen centuries, her witness lives on today. Although the writings and teachings left behind by Amma Sarah are few, they demonstrate spiritual depth not achieved in a day, but rather through many years of consistent, committed prayer.

Amma Sarah’s witness assures us that authentic contemplation leads to:

• Honesty: Acknowledging struggles rather than pretending easy victory
• Wisdom: Seeking divine strength rather than circumstantial comfort
• Humility: Pursuing interior purity rather than external approval
• Authority: Possessing spiritual influence through genuine transformation
• Identity: Finding oneself in God rather than cultural categories

As we continue in our spiritual journey to pursue God daily through prayer, may we be encouraged by Amma Sarah’s exhortation to pray not for ease, but for strength; to seek a pure heart rather than for approval from others; to find our identity in Christ rather than in human opinions; and to continue to pursue holiness until we reach our ultimate goal of union with Christ through the Holy Spirit.

Like the river beside which she lived, Sarah’s spiritual influence continues flowing—refreshing parched souls, providing life-giving wisdom, and pointing toward the eternal River of Life flowing from God’s throne (Revelation 22:1).

As we face our own spiritual journeys—our temptations, our questions about identity, our struggles with approval-seeking, our desire for divine intimacy—may we draw courage from Amma Sarah’s example. May we, like her, pray not for ease but for strength. May we seek not applause but purity of heart. May we discover our truest identity not in worldly categories but in Christ. And may we persevere, year after year, until we too achieve the mystical union for which we were created.

As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God

Psalm 42:1-2

May we, like Amma Sarah, spend our lives beside the living waters of God’s presence, discovering that He alone satisfies the soul’s deepest thirst, heals the heart’s deepest wounds, and fulfills the spirit’s deepest longings.

Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life

John 4:14