29 Jun Finding God in the Everyday

We all have them. The days that seem to come at us like a tidal wave, knocking us off our feet and causing us to lose our footing before we even even have the chance the lift the necessary first cup of coffee to our lips.

We may desire to approach our days with prayer, thoughtfulness, and intentionality, but all of that desire can, in the midst of stress or chaos, can simply turn into an “S.O.S.” to God of “Lord, have mercy!“

It may be, when we finally have fifteen minutes of silence, we want to pray but aren’t even sure where to start. I know that personally when I come to the place of prayer, there are often so many thoughts swirling through my mind it can be helpful to have a framework that provides clarity as I seek to focus my attention on the Lord.

The Prayer of Examen

I’d love to share with you a spiritual practice I learned about recently through my current seminary class. It is called “The Prayer of Examen” and originated with Ignatius Loyola who lived in the 1500’s.

Ignatian Spirituality shares the following description of The Prayer of Examen on their website: “The Daily Examen is a technique of prayerful reflection on the events of the day in order to detect God’s presence and discern his direction for us. The Examen is an ancient practice in the Church that can help us see God’s hand at work in our whole experience.”

There are many variations of the Examen, but the basic elements simply include expressing gratitude to the Lord for His many gifts and blessings, taking time to notice and acknowledge how God has been present and active in your life, confession of sin, and responding to what He has revealed to you during your time of prayer.

Over the last week, I have begun my times of prayer and Bible study with a period of praying through these elements and have been richly blessed. Note to busy moms – this is an exercise you can walk through in anywhere from 10-30 minutes, depending on how much time you have. I’ve found it’s a great exercise to do while I’m going on my morning jog.

Here are just a few ways I have benefited from walking through these aspects of prayer:

Beginning with Gratitude – It’s easy to begin my prayer time by immediately pouring out all my needs and desires to the Lord. And often the very thing we need to do most is to “…pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us” (Psalm 62:8). But it can also be incredibly beneficial to practice the discipline of gratitude, especially perhaps when joy and thanksgiving aren’t the emotions bubbling up from our hearts at the moment.

Examples of things I have been thankful for this week: sisters expressing forgiveness to each other, a loving hug from my god-daughter, an encouraging conversation with a friend, watching my son delight in swimming in our neighborhood pool.

Acknowledging His Presence – In our fast-paced culture, taking time (even five minutes) to look back over the last day of your life with eyes to see where God has been active and present not only deepens our relationship with the Lord but builds our faith as well. I have found that on very hard days when many things didn’t go the way I had hoped, scoping the landscape of my day to see where God was at work lightened my heart and encouraged my soul.

Examples of where I have seen God at work in my life this week: I noticed that when I was practicing reading with my daughter, at a time when I would normally grow very impatient I felt God’s Spirit prompting me to be calm and keep encouraging her. Noticing God’s gracious help in that moment encouraged me that He is able to give me patience in the future as well.

Confession of Sin – There is great freedom and cleansing in confessing our sins to God: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

Examples of confession of sin in my life this week: Pretty much every day I am confessing impatience towards my children to God. My own weaknesses turn me towards the Lord who demonstrates incredible long-suffering towards me every day. As I see his unlimited mercy and patience, I am freshly inspired to extend that same mercy to my children.

How about you? What are you grateful to God for this week? Where have you seen God’s Spirit active in your life? What spiritual practices have served to strengthen your relationship with God? I would love to hear from you!