Let's seek God with grateful hearts using a form of the ancient practice known as the Prayer of Examen. Whether you're quietly sitting at your desk, unwinding on a yoga mat, relaxing in bed, or taking a peaceful stroll, this episode offers an opportunity to pause and notice God's activity in your life with gratitude. You may wish to journal through this time or savor the quiet reflection in God's presence. Pause now, take a deep breath, and let the ordinary moments of your life become extraordinary encounters with your Creator.
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Hi, this is Whitney and you're listening to Exploring Peace Meditations. Today's episode invites us into the prayer of examine. You can practice this prayer in your mind, in quiet stillness. You can journal through our prayer today. If you so choose. You could be walking and ponder your responses to the prayer of examine. This is a practice that I try to engage in every evening before bed, and I don't make it complicated. I keep it simple, jotting down just a few words that stand out to me from the day as I guide you through this time. I invite you to notice what rises up first and, in the quiet that follows, just hold on to that. See what God wants you to notice or pay attention to. If you need more time, you could pause the recording. So, whatever shape you're in a posture, a seated, meditation, at your desk, in your bed or walking notice your breath, allow the breath to flow through you and, on your next exhale, release every ounce of breath, continue your focused and present breathing for the next few moments until it becomes rhythmic and natural.
Speaker 1:
Our practice today is a form of reflective prayer. It was developed by Saint Ignatius Loyola, who is the founder of the Jesuits, and it's a process of reviewing and reflecting upon your day, to notice the moments where you have felt God's presence in your life. This prayer can be practiced anytime that suits your day, your schedule, and so, whatever time of day it is, I invite you to ponder the last 24 hours. Sometimes it takes me a moment just to recall the past 24 hours. What did I do today or yesterday? And so, as you bring this to mind, remember there's not one specific way that this prayer is offered. So I'm going to share the way I practice the prayer of examine with you In the past 24 hours, when did you feel close to God?
Speaker 1:
This is also called consolation, a nearness to God, a connection with God. When did you feel God's spirit near and around you? Ponder this in as much detail as you're able, recalling what it feels like, noticing where you were, what you were doing when you recognized the nearness of God. Sit with this moment of consolation in your heart or mind or journal about it. Now. We'll see you in the next video. Next, I invite you to ponder a moment where you felt far away. This is often called desolation. Try not to relive or embody what may feel hard. Just recall, recall this moment of desolation, challenging time in the past 24 hours. I next invite you to focus on gratitude, or what can you be grateful for from this day. As you seek to remember these moments of gratitude, I invite you to bring one particular moment of gratitude clearly to mind In the next few moments of quiet, feeling grateful in your body for this moment or experience, practice in the quiet, breathing in and out.
Speaker 2:
Breathing in and out. Breathing in and out. Breathing in and out.
Speaker 1:
Breathing in and out and now, with a heart filled with gratitude, I invite you to pray. As you pray, this is an opportunity to talk to God about your day. There may be an invitation to ask for forgiveness, or insight or wisdom. There may be words of gratitude that spill out to God in this time of prayer, as you conclude your prayer, of examine, simply talk to God. What is the prayer of your heart today. Please subscribe to our channel. Thank you, Please subscribe to our channel.
Speaker 1:
Creator. God, thank you for helping us seek you in our everyday, ordinary lives, in the moments of consolation and the moments of desolation. Help us find you all around us. With this heart, body and mind of gratitude, we give thanks to you. Thank you for eyes to see and ears to hear and help us notice. You seek you with a heart of gratitude in this day to come. In your holy name we pray Amen. Thank you for exploring the gift of God's peace with me. If you'd like to connect beyond the podcast, you can find our behind-the-scenes community that supports this ministry at exploringpeacecom slash community and you can find me at WhitneyRSimpsoncom. Until next time, may God's peace be with you.