{"id":12573,"date":"2024-01-02T12:17:08","date_gmt":"2024-01-02T18:17:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.navpress.com\/sites\/thedisciplemaker\/?p=12573"},"modified":"2024-01-02T12:17:10","modified_gmt":"2024-01-02T18:17:10","slug":"using-the-prayer-of-examen-to-assess-our-heart-and-soul","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.navpress.com\/sites\/thedisciplemaker\/2024\/01\/using-the-prayer-of-examen-to-assess-our-heart-and-soul\/","title":{"rendered":"Using the Prayer of Examen to Assess Our Heart and Soul"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

Holly and Glenn Packiam practice life-giving rhythms to experience freedom and abundance as they abide in Christ. In this excerpt from their book, <\/em>The Intentional Year, Glenn and Holly teach us about the Prayer of Examen, and how they use it as they reflect on their past year and plan for the next.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Glenn<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Years ago, Holly and I discovered a practice that helps us to discern God\u2019s presence in our lives. This ancient tool comes from Saint Ignatius of Loyola, who encouraged fellow believers over four hundred years ago to become aware of God in daily life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of Ignatius\u2019s most helpful practices is known today as The Prayer of Examen. This practice is designed to help Christians prayerfully reflect on the events of a day and to help them sense where the Lord is leading. Many use this tool on a daily or weekly basis, which we highly encourage. But it can also be used as a tool for reviewing a month or a season. We have found it to be particularly powerful when used to review a whole year. When you use the Examen to review larger chunks of time rather than a moment-by-moment review of the day, you tend to notice major themes.[i]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s walk through it together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One: Rest<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Holly<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before you begin, sit in silence for three minutes. Slow down your breathing. Welcome the Holy Spirit. Remind yourself that you are in the presence of the living God. The Holy Spirit lives in you and is working through you. He desires to have a living relationship with you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If this is a new practice and you are struggling to focus your mind, you may want to visualize a peaceful place with Jesus sitting beside you. What would he be doing or saying to you? I often imagine sitting next to Jesus on a beach as we listen to the gentle roll of the waves on the shore and feel the sun shine down on our faces. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes, I also say \u201cbreath prayers\u201d over and over in my mind. A breath prayer is a prayer that can be spoken in one breath and repeated over and over. Many, including the Desert Fathers, (monastic Christians in the third and fourth centuries) prayed the prayer, \u201cLord, have mercy.\u201d A longer form of this is known as the \u201cJesus Prayer\u201d: \u201cLord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.\u201d I often say, \u201cAbba Father, I am yours.\u201d Others pray breath prayers like \u201cWhen I am afraid, I will trust you,\u201d from Psalm 56:3 or \u201cNot my will but yours,\u201d which stems from Jesus\u2019 prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane in Luke 22:42. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two: Review<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Before you begin a review of the year, sit quietly and pay attention to how you are feeling. How are you feeling physically? What emotions are you aware of? Are you feeling happy, sad, angry, anxious? Write down what you observe. I might write something like: \u201c8:30 a.m., stomach feeling unsettled, anxious about being away from the kids, joyful to see the snow-capped mountains out my hotel window.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next, write down what significant things happened this year. Reflect on your thought processes, your conversations, your actions. This might seem like a huge task, but write whatever comes to mind. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As you are reviewing the year, prayerfully ask God to bring things to mind. Ask the Lord to help you remember where you have fallen short of his plan for your life this year. Ask where or how you were able to give and receive love. Ask the Lord to help you notice where you failed to give and receive love. What good could I have brought to someone, but chose not to?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A simple way to pray about this is to ask, \u201cGod, where have I said yes to you this year?\u201d And, \u201cWhere have I said no to participating with you?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some example questions to review the year:<\/p>\n\n\n\n