In your anger do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent. Psalm 4:4 Examen is the practice of prayerful reflection at the end of the day. It is the practice of lying on our beds and silently searching our hearts. Examen is a practice that can help us identify where we are receiving God's help and where we are needing to ask for God's help. Days tend to blur … [Read more...] about Practicing Examen as Prayer

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7 God invites us to pray about every anxiety. Every time we are anxious we are invited "by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, to … [Read more...] about Bringing our Requests to God as Prayer

I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. Psalm 40:1 We live in a world of instant everything. We value speed. This is true not only in our culture at large, but in our spirituality. When we pray, we want to see results. And we want to see them now. Our need for quick results is especially urgent when we, or someone we love, is in distress. If we cry out to God in a … [Read more...] about Waiting as Prayer

You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you. Hear my prayer, O Lord; listen to my cry for mercy. In the day of my trouble I will call to you, for you will answer me. Psalm 86:5-7 Sometimes prayer is a cry from our heart. It is a raw pleading for mercy in times of trouble. There may be times of trouble when we find ourselves thinking, "I can't go to God in … [Read more...] about Crying as Prayer

Trust in him at all times, O people, pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge. Psalm 62:8 When we listen with an open heart to the outpouring of another person's heart, something happens. A bond forms. A closeness grows. And out of this relationship healing begins to take place. But sharing one's heart requires trust in the other person. It requires trust that the other person … [Read more...] about Pouring Out Our Hearts as Prayer

Be merciful to me, O Lord, for I am in distress, my eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and my body with grief. My life is consumed with anguish and my years with groaning; my strength fails because of my affliction, and my bones grow weak. Psalm 31: 8-9 This text is a gripping and painful description of grief. It is a grief that goes on and on, a grief that consumes, a grief that wears … [Read more...] about Grieving as Prayer

All night long on my bed I looked for the one my heart loves; I looked for him but did not find him. I will get up now and go about the city, through its streets and squares; I will search for the one my heart loves... Song of Songs 3:1,2 When we are suffering, when we need God the most, we may have the greatest sense of being abandoned by God. The suffering we experience may feel like … [Read more...] about Seeking God as Prayer