Tag: spiritual practices

More spiritual practices for this year

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.

Lament in our everyday lives

Last week, we looked at how the Bible is full of lament and God invites us to lament in our everyday lives. The practice helps us to cling on to God and, as such, is a hope-filled action. We are now going to take a closer look at psalms of lament, and how we can utilise them in our own lives.

I don’t relish the experiences that have revealed how vital lament is to me, but I do cherish the renewed understanding that God has given us permission to vent all our anger, frustration, anguish, as well as our questions. I have come to view lament as part of my survival kit.

Lent is fast approaching: this is a time in the Church calendar where we traditionally wrestle with that ‘in-between’ time of confusion and bewilderment. The disciples watched all their hope seemingly die with Jesus on the cross and on that day and Easter Saturday there is often space held to consider our own despair, before the celebrations of Resurrection Sunday.

Psalms of lament

The pandemic has brought suffering to so many families, and this life is full of troubles (as well as joys). If you don’t regularly practise lament, perhaps you could take time this Lent to explore the subject more fully and think about the different ways you can utilise the practice in your own life.

To begin with, you could try finding a psalm that seems to echo the cry of your heart and turn it into a prayer – or write your own lament.

Let’s look more closely at a psalm of lament, to see the four stages that they often (but not always) work through:

Address: the psalmist speaks directly to God, often revealing a level of intimacy in the relationship.

Complaint: Laying out the questions and anguish in a raw, totally honest way.

Request: Putting a direct request to the One that they know can help.

Expression of trust: Often the psalmist remembers God’s past faithfulness and turns to worship, declaring their trust in God.

You can write your own psalm according to these stages, or try using them as a basis for prayer. We will look at ways of doing both here.

Example: Psalm 13

This short psalm shows the four stages very clearly.

Address: How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?
Complaint [God far, enemies triumphing]:

How long will you hide your face from me?
2 How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
    and day after day have sorrow in my heart?
    How long will my enemy triumph over me?

Request [more personal ‘my God’]:

3 Look on me and answer, Lord my God.
    Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death,
4 and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,”
    and my foes will rejoice when I fall.

Statement of trust [and praise]: 5 But I trust in your unfailing love;
    my heart rejoices in your salvation.
6 I will sing the Lord’s praise,
    for he has been good to me.

Psalm as a springboard for prayer

Here is an example of the way in which I use particular psalms as launchpads for my own prayers, utilising Psalm 13 again:

1 How long, Lord? Will you forget me for ever?
    How long will you hide your face from me?

God I can’t see you at work in this situation. It feels like I am having to cope on my own. I know you are there – please reveal yourself to me. Show me you haven’t forgotten us.
2 How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
    and day after day have sorrow in my heart?
    How long will my enemy triumph over me?

This all feels relentless, and it does feel like the devil is having a field day. I am finding it hard to keep batting away the discouragement, and my own depression. How long is this going to go on for Lord?

3 Look on me and answer, Lord my God.
    Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death,
4 and my enemy will say, ‘I have overcome him,’
    and my foes will rejoice when I fall.

We need you to move – we need release! Come and act, move so that those around will know that you are God. And bring me your discernment and wisdom to know what to do – and your energy. I am so tired Lord…

5 But I trust in your unfailing love;
    my heart rejoices in your salvation.
6 I will sing the Lord’s praise,
    for he has been good to me.

I do trust you Lord, however hard that is to say at times – and I do know that you are good and that your character cannot change. I also choose to worship you, singing songs of thanks, because I know they stir my heart and do me good. Thank you for the salvation you have brought me, thank you for the way you have led me in the past – and thank you for the way you have upheld my family. I know that you love them more than I do – and trust that you have a hope and a future for each one of us.

Writing your own lament

Here are some questions to help you if you would like to try writing your own lament psalm. Use the suggestions, if helpful, in order to be honest before God but also meditate on the fact that God is with you in all your troubles or simply begin to allow God to minister to the hurting parts of your soul.

• Start by thinking about what difficulty – circumstance, person etc – is causing you anguish/anger/ anxiety/pain. Write out a description, and also how you feel about it – try and name the emotions.

• Do you feel that God is with you in it, or do you feel that he is absent? Try and write out where you feel God is.

• To help you with the second half of your lament, brainstorm some characteristics of/truths about God that you know in your head (even if you don’t feel them in your heart currently).

• Remind yourself of some of the ways God has shown his faithfulness to you in the past.

Use the notes you have made as a starting point to write out an honest lament. Try and end the psalm with some positive statements of trust – even if you aren’t feeling them right now.

Choosing to be honest before God

There have been moments in recent years when the extraordinary depths of pain and grief have wracked my body and soul, and I have been unable to do anything but sob my heart out. But I have had to make the choice to either do that before God, or trying to hide from him. In all honesty, there have been moments of both – although I know he always sees us. But when I have come before him I have certainly felt less alone. It is lament that has helped me to do that. Ultimately, I know God is good and would never want to go through any of this without him – lament helps me to hang on to him. It is certainly a practice I wouldn’t want to be without in my everyday life now.

Time to…find a daily practice that heals?

Today I am delighted to welcome Deanna Fletcher to my blog. She is a broadcaster but has also just created a new ‘daily practice movement’ called Know Me. Here she explains why she thinks taking time for regular stillness is so important.

If I told you one simple thing could dramatically reduce your anxiety and self-doubt while also helping you sleep better, would you believe me?

Finding a daily practice that works best in the season of life you’re in isn’t just about taking control of your mental health. It’s also a powerful and biblical way to connect with God on a deeper level, creating space for the Holy Spirit to speak with you in a tangible, personal way.

A spiritual or belief practice is a regular activity undertaken for the specific purpose of cultivating spiritual development. The more you come back to this place of stillness and surrender, the further along the path you’ll move towards your goal; a closer communion and intimacy with God. This type of spiritual path is sometimes referred to as a pilgrimage and, I believe, describes well the journey of discipleship. Spending quality time in His presence and allowing Him to replace negative, fearful thoughts with His loving truth is right on point with Romans 12:2 – to be “inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through a total reformation of how you think” (TPT).

There are many reasons you might take up a daily practice. Right now, we are facing an epidemic of poor mental health, increased anxiety and loneliness not just in our country, but around the world. Many families have been confined to small spaces under the coronavirus lockdown and for single people the hardship of isolation – going for months without a physical connection with others – has become lonely to the point of distress.

I came to discover practices like guided meditation when it was desperately needed in my life. Chronic stress had led to clinical burnout, resulting in major life changes and a lengthy recovery process. How I wish I knew then what I know now! Rest isn’t the enemy of productivity, and silence is nothing to be feared – there is strength to be found in these places. In my experience, it requires coming back to places of stillness and prayer to see real, long-term change. According to the Bible, Jesus is our ‘great physician’ (Mark 2:17) and we would never expect an initial appointment with our GP to resolve our issue. No, it requires that we return as a daily ritual to His presence.

So how can we take back the reigns of our spiritual and emotional wellness? 

The befits of habitual meditation have been proven to include better emotional health, a stronger understanding of self, reduced stress and insomnia, increased positive action and kindness towards others, just to name a few. Creating space to engage with something as simple as a guided meditation on a daily basis is good for the mind, will help you to deepen your faith, and bring more joy as you find yourself feeling more connected and less alone.

“But God’s not finished. He’s waiting around to be gracious to you. He’s gathering strength to show mercy to you. God takes the time to do everything right – everything. Those who wait around for him are the lucky ones” (Isaiah 30:18, The Message).

However hectic your schedule may be, it’s well worth making space for uninterrupted stillness. Often, this is exactly what our soul craves. Create an intention today to better serve yourself tomorrow. Consider setting your alarm a few minutes early to take advantage of quiet time in the morning. Small changes make a big difference, and your active choice today may help develop a consistent habit that allows you to start each day with feelings of calm, confidence and connectedness.

Deanna Fletcher is a broadcaster, speaker and founder of the daily practices movement, Know Me. Sign up for helpful articles, devotionals and meditations that will refresh your mind and spirit.