Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
2 Corinthians 13:5
Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you
We know we should pray, but often we just don’t know what to say or what to pray about. The following is an ancient prayer handed down through the centuries helping many to become more aware and listen for the movement of God in their lives.
The Prayer of Examen is an exploration of how God is present within the events, circumstances, feeling of our daily lives. This method focuses on listening and discerning where God's presence was and where
You can pray through the outline below meditating on each point for a period of time but many also find journaling through this prayer to be a blessing.
(Start with thanksgiving, noticing the moments that you were most grateful and least grateful for.)
Reflect on your entire day becoming aware of the specific events that you are thankful for.
Loving God, I am totally dependent on you. Everything is a gift from you. All is gift. I give you thanks and praise for the gifts of this day…
God, I believe you work through and in time to reveal me to myself. Please give me an increased awareness of how you are guiding and shaping my life, as well as a more sensitive awareness of the obstacles I put in your way…
You have been present in my life today. Be near, now, as I reflect on:
Your presence in the events of today…
Your presence in the feelings I experienced today…
Your call to me…
My response to you...
This might also be helpful
- Ask when did you give and receive the most love today? When and where did I give and receive the least love today?
- What was the most life-giving and life-draining part of my day?
- When today did I have the deepest sense of connection with God? When today did I have the least sense of connection
- Where was I aware of living out of the fruit of the Spirit? Where was there an absence of the fruit of the Spirit?
Oh God, I ask your loving forgiveness and healing. The particular event of this day that I most want healed is…
Filled with hope and a firm belief in your love and power, I entrust myself to your care, and strongly affirm…(Claim the gift you most desire, most need; believe that God desires to give you that gift.)
2 comments:
I'm glad you are doing this prayer blog.
I do a form of this prayer every week on my blog. It really makes me stop and reflect in a meaningful way. It helps me put the day to day and week to week happenings of my life into perspective.
There are even online tools to help guide you through your Prayer of Examen and will help you journal them. It is called Examen.me
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