One of the benefits of a study leave is to take time away from the daily routine of ministry. I wanted to spend extra time in prayer and review my prayer journey to see what God has been doing. While reading about prayer I came across the prayer of examen. Ignatius Loyola (1491-1556), founder of the Society of Jesus recommended to his brother monks a daily method of examining their lives so that they might better serve the Lord. It is this method that became know as the prayer of examen.

This prayer can take as little as 10–15 minutes. When you have extra time setting aside an hour to do this would be beneficial. The prayer draws us into the presence of God with the intention of discerning how God has interacted with us during the day or the week. It is not always a comfortable prayer as we must take time to allow God to challenge as well as encourage us. This is a prayer that requires a response from us. You should go to a place where you will not be disturbed. Bring along your Bible and a notebook to write in or something to jot down your thoughts.

The five steps to the prayer are:

1. Become aware of God’s presence.

Remind yourself of God’s presence with you and His desire to be with you. Consider praying for the Holy Spirit to help you be attentive to God’s presence all the time.

2. Looking over the events of the day with gratitude -

Begin to give thanks to God for the gifts of the day. After a few moments, begin to give thanks to God for the gifts of this day. Special pleasures will spring to mind: a good night’s sleep, the smell of the morning coffee, the laugh of a child. As you move in gratitude through the details of your day, remember that every single event has been God’s gift. Remember to thank God for each of the day’s gifts.

3. Inviting the Holy Spirit to help us evaluate our actions and attitudes with honesty and patience.

4. Reviewing the day making yourself aware of where Christ assisted your decisions and where you should have paused to receive his instruction.

Where did I love God or Others? Where did I fail?

5. A heart to heart talk with Jesus sharing your thoughts on your actions, attitudes, feelings and interactions.

I have discovered that the prayer of examen helps me to keep my attitude and heart right before God and people. It has made a difference in my prayer life. I encourage you to try the prayer of examen as part of your prayer life. I believe it will help you to discover how to love God more fully while developing your character as a follower of Jesus Christ.

Praising God His Grace,