The Daily Examen :: Third Week of Lent
The Daily Examen is an ancient prayer practice that invites us into reflecting on the events of our day with the Lord, in order to discern his presence and direction for our lives. It helps us see God at work in all the parts and pieces of our lives.
Traditionally, these are the 5 movements of the practice:
Give thanks. Spend a few moments in gratitude for the gifts and blessings of the day.
Ask for light.
Examine the day.
Seek forgiveness.
Resolve to change
During this Lent, we are going to offer a Daily Examen based on the topic of the sermon from Sunday. We will all be able to use this practice as a tool to “read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest” the Scriptures and ideas from the sermon during each day of our week. We hope you’ll join us on this Lenten journey!
Seeking God in Lament
Lamentations 3:19-24; Luke 13:31-35
Find a time each evening to sit quietly with the Lord for about 15 minutes.
Pause, and become aware of His presence. Perhaps breathing slowly, saying “Come,” (breath in) “Holy Spirit” (breath out).
Read the Scriptures from Sunday slowly, asking the Spirit to point out a word or phrase to you.
Remembering his deep love for you, examine your heart and life with the Spirit, asking him the following questions.
Holy Spirit, where am I seeking protection from pain, but you are inviting me into redemption through pain? What do you want me to lament? How do I do that?
Since the book of Lamentations is written in an acrostic form, how are you inviting me to write out my laments, starting with the letter A and ending with Z? And after that, would you help me, Holy Spirit, to write out one that that is trust of You, the Son, and the Father, starting with the letter A and ending with Z?
Is there a part of me that feels like it is wrong to lament? If so, would you speak to me about this? Also, which way do I tend to lean when suffering- toward despair or toward a “Pollyanna” outlook?
Would you help me unpack this statement Billy made: Lament is the language for loss, the solution for our silence; it is the category for complains and the framework for our feelings. It’s the way we worship.
Would you help me write my own lament psalm, Lord? Here are the parts of a lament psalm:
Address
Complaint
Ask
Trust
Talk to the Lord in response to what he’s said.
Collect
Almighty God, you know that we have no power in ourselves to help ourselves. Keep us both outwardly in our bodies and inwardly in our souls, that we may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
