Prayer Practice ~ Discernment

 

The power of a prayer practice is that it is never one and done.  There is no finish line with a prayer practice.  Just like you can never say, “Well, I finished the internet…or Netflix,” so too you come back to a prayer practice to deepen your dance with the Divine.  The questions from yesterday are a deep well that we are called to draw water from each day.  So, I offer the questions to you again.  However, I am going to re-phrase them so that the light of God’s love might move through the prism of these prayerful ponderings in new ways:

 

Where, when, and with whom might you share the fruits of the Spirit today?  Name the person aloud. How and from whom might you receive/taste/be fueled by the fruits of the Spirit today?  Galatians 5 says the fruits are:  love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. 

 

What is the weather pattern in your soul today?  Is it cloudy, stormy, or calm/clear?  Become a meteorologist for your soul, heart, and mind today.  Is there a chance of bad weather at that meeting you are going to today?  Do you need to pack extra patience for that doctor’s appointment?  Is there pain that casts a shadow you can’t seem to let go?  Survey what is stirring within you right now.

 

What is one way you can be part of the ministry of reconciliation today?  Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:18, that we are given a ministry of reconciliation, relationships, connecting the me with the wider we.  That is not just for pastors, but the priesthood of all believers.  How might you embrace and embody these words today?

 

Do you feel aligned this morning in head, heart, and soul?  Or does something feel out-of-whack?  What is it?  Is there some lingering problem that keeps stirring in your mind?  Is there a comment someone said stuck on a loop that you keep replaying/repeating?  Or maybe it is an interaction from Monday that weighs you down?  Do a body scan seeing how it is in your head, heart, and soul.  You may want to have a piece of paper to write down what you observe.

 

What line from scripture might guide you today?  You might select Psalm 23 or Psalm 121 or Psalm 100.  Or you might hold in your heart the passage from this past Sunday, Genesis 25.  Let the wisdom of the Word sink and settle into your soul to feed and fuel your life today.

 

I pray it is helpful to hear how you can slightly twist and turn the questions of Ignatius each day as a prayer practice throughout the month of September.  God’s light can shine through these questions each day with a prism of rainbow colors lighting our way.

 

May you today know joy, love, peace, and contentment…and may you share those who others as you are able.  Amen.