During the Lenten season, we prepare for Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday in the same way that Jesus prepared for his ministry: with fasting and prayer. For forty days - not counting Sundays - we recall that Jesus went into the wilderness to fast and pray as he was tested by the devil (Matthew 4:1-11).
We want to focus particularly on prayer during this time. We want to encourage you during this season to take time to pray at home, alone or with your family. This may be a good time to try praying in a new way. There are many ways to pray, and this year we are going to be focusing on six different ways of praying, drawing on scripture, church tradition, and contemporary practices. We encourage you to try each of these, even if some of them might feel a little uncomfortable at first.
Week 1: Praying with the psalms, hymns, and prayers in scripture
In this video, Pastor Jackson teaches us a simple way of praying with scripture using Psalm 23 as an example.
Three things to keep in mind as you pray with scripture:
This is an activity that is led by the Holy Spirit. We believe that the Spirit inspired the writing of scripture, just as we believe that the Spirit lives within us and prays through us.
As we pray with scripture, we keep in mind that these passages have an original context, that they were written to people who lived in a particular setting; we do not want to disregard the original context of scripture.
We also believe that God’s word is alive, and that the scriptures speak to us today; so even as we recall the original context, we also believe that the Holy Spirit helps us to apply God’s word in our own context.
week 2: prayers of confession
In this video, Jan teaches us how to confess our sins to God in prayer, using scripture and church tradition.
Week 3: Praying with few words
In this video, Val teaches us some ancient prayer practices which involve very few words. If this practice is new to you, you may find it uncomfortable at first. We encourage you to try it anyway, and to be still and know that he is God.
Click here to download a printable guide to centering prayer.
Week 4: praying with the Lord’s prayer
In this video, Jan teaches us a way of using the Lord’s Prayer as a “map” for our own prayers.
Week 5: The Prayer of Examen
Check out our Prayer of Examen mixtape looking back at the past twelve months.
In this video, Val takes us through a historic way of praying that teaches us to reflect on God’s presence and work in our lives.
Here are some simple questions that can guide your own practice:
Start with Thanksgiving. What moments or events (big and small) am I most grateful for? Least grateful for?
Where was I most aware of God’s presence? Least aware?
When did I give and receive the most love today? The least love? When was I the happiest? The saddest?
When did I have the deepest sense of connection with God, others and myself? The least sense?
Where do I sense God’s calling to love Him, others and myself? Where do I need encouragement or forgiveness or healing?
Entrust yourself to God’s love and care for you before you fall asleep.
Week 6: Modern resources for Prayer
In this video, Pastor Jackson teaches us about some of the apps and other digital tools that can help us to pray. Maybe you think it seems strange to use an app to help you pray, but we encourage you to try it out this week!
Here are some of the resources Jackson mentions in the video: