Over the last few weeks, we’ve begun to look at spiritual practices that we can incorporate into our daily lives, starting with lament and how we can utilise the psalms when we need to lament ourselves. I want to round off this mini series by looking at a few more spiritual practices I have found useful over the years.
Simple one-phrase prayers
This practice is so easy to do as it really is as simple as praying a short phrase. This actually came out of a challenge that someone in the small group I was in at the time shared with us, and I have found myself coming back to it again and again in recent years. We were encouraged to pray these two simple phrases at different points: “Order my day” and “What’s the one thing?” For someone prone to self-sufficiency, the very simple act of praying “order my day” reminds me that God is in charge of my life. As I pray I sometimes visualise taking my hands off the steering wheel and allowing God to sit in the driver’s seat.
The idea of asking God to help us focus our day helps bring order – for those of us with too much to do in a day and feeling overwhelmed, but also for those for whom days stretch out endlessly and we feel lonely – asking God for that one thing he wants us to focus on brings a clarity, a focus and a closeness to him.
I have also found offering up my daily ‘to do’ list to God, and asking: “What’s the one thing you want me to focus on today?” helps me to lay all those things I might think are important before him, actively seeking what his priority is for my day. I have seen him open up some unexpected opportunities to help others that I believe I would have missed otherwise.
One word
Another ‘one’ that I’ve incorporated into my year since 2017 now, is prayerfully choosing ‘one word’ that I feel God wants me to be the focus of my year. It is a really helpful practice and, while I know many people will already have their word for the year, if you haven’t chosen one yet, do take a look at this blog where I explain how I choose my word, over on the Premier Woman Alive website.
Lectio divina
Finally, I want to share how life-enriching I have found lectio divina – in fact, the book club I run usually engages with a lectio at the start of each session and we have all come to enjoy the chance we have to slow down and really engage with the text, and with Jesus.
Lectio divina is a Latin term meaning ‘divine reading’. It is a traditional Benedictine way of reading scripture, giving time and space to really connect with it. In the 12th century the Carthusian monk Guigo II formalised the approach into four steps: read, meditate, pray and contemplate. The emphasis is on lingering over a passage and allowing it to affect us. It isn’t about theological study; rather it is about encountering Jesus and allowing him to speak directly to us. This approach can be done with any portion of scripture.
Utilising lectio divina
Pick a portion of scripture then use the following steps:
1. Read: Sit in a comfortable chair and relax. Take time to slowly read your chosen verses, paying attention as to whether a particular verse or phrase jumps out.
2. Meditate/Reflect: This time when you read the passage, focus particularly on the phrase (if you have one). Rather than analysing its meaning, ask Jesus what he wants to say through it. Are there any insights he wants to share with you from this passage and/or phrase?
3. Pray/Respond: Read the passage again then offer up all your feelings and responses to God in prayer. Ask Jesus for guidance on how to pray as necessary. Journalling can be helpful too. Be open to any changes that God may be instigating. This is where you can start a dialogue with God.
4. Contemplation/Rest: After a final read through of the passage, sit before God in silence. The emphasis here is on ‘being’ rather than doing.