Welcome to La Canada Presbyterian Church’s introduction to the Prayer of Examen. This prayer is a simple technique of reflecting on the events of the day to help us notice God’s presence in our daily lives and to help us discern, over time, God’s direction for us. This is a spiritual practice that is most helpful when done daily, generally at the end of the day.
Our guided prayer will take approximately 8 minutes, but please feel free to stop the audio if you would like more time then we have allotted for your reflection. Also, should you feel that you would like to talk to someone about what came up for you in prayer, we have on our web-page resources available for you to call.
We will be asking ourselves two main questions, “When did I feel most alive today?” and “Were there times that were life limiting?” These two simple questions will help us to look back over our day to see how God speaks to us through those moments and the feelings associated with them, to reveal how they helped to connect us with ourselves, others, God and creation. Or served to disconnect us.
Sometimes a subtle shift in the wording of the questions may help you enter more deeply into the events of your day and bring a clarity to the emotions surrounding them. For example you may prefer questions such as, “What is the moment for which I am most grateful?” and “What is the moment for which I am least grateful?”.
As you pause and consider your day through the lens of these questions, you become aware of moments that might easily be passed by because they are small moments, seemingly insignificant, but when considered prayerfully, reveal God’s activity in your everyday life. As you continue to practice this prayer, you will begin to notice, in the moment, God with you and through your reflection, trends or threads that can direct decisions going forward. It can transform your way of being in the world.
As preparation, we suggest:
- Finding a quiet comfortable place to sit away from distractions
- Have a journal ready and a Bible by your side
- You may want to light a candle as a symbol of the Spirit of God within you, or have some other item that reminds you of Gods love.
