This year we are continuing to explore spiritual practices together as a church. We will focus on each one for about a month. For the month of January, we are beginning with a prayer practice: the Prayer of Examen.
In the words of Adele Calhoun in her Spiritual Disciplines Handbook, the Prayer of Examen is “a practice for discerning the voice and activity of God within the flow of your day.” It is a way of thinking, reflecting, and praying while looking back over your day allowing God to probe the depths of your heart as a sort of spiritual inventory. Often done at the end of the day, the Prayer of Examen is a joint reflection with God that reveals where God was at work in and around you, where you followed him well, where you missed the mark during the day, when you felt most connected with God and others and when you felt less connected.
Prayer of Examen is not an exercise in either rationalization of your actions or tearing yourself down for mistakes. Rather, it is an honest, God guided reflection over your day. All too often we move quickly through our days, going from one task to another with barely time to think and process in between until we reach the end and collapse into bed. The Prayer of Examen gives us that space to process and provides intentional time to connect with God at the close of the day and reflect over the disparate parts of our day and how God was with us in every moment. As we step into this new year, let’s end each day with a daily Prayer of Examen.
The Practice: Daily Prayer of Examen
Set aside 5-10 minutes each evening to dwell in God’s presence and reflect with him over your day. Below you will find seven sets of questions, one set for each day of the week. You will rotate through these each week of the month.
Each day begin your time by breathing deeply and reading the words of Psalm 139:1-5 & 23-24. Let verses 23-24 be your prayer: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.”
Then continue your reflection by rewinding and replaying the tape of your day in your head. See every person you encountered, every place you went, and every situation you experienced. Read the questions for the day, and let God guide your thoughts as you contemplate them. Be sure to record any insights or thoughts in a journal.
Examen Questions1
Day 1: Which part of my day was the most life giving? Which part was the most life draining? How was God present with me in these moments?
Day 2: When did I give and receive the most love today? When did I give and receive the least love today?
Day 3: When did I feel the deepest connection with God today? When did I feel the least sense of connection?
Day 4: At what point did I feel the most at peace today? When did I feel the most unsettled or anxious?
Day 5: Where did I notice God at work and join him in his work today? What opportunities to join God in his work did I overlook or pass by?
Day 6: At what point today was I most living out of the fruit of the Spirit? At what point was there an absence of the fruit of the Spirit?
Day 7: For which moment am I the most grateful today? For which moment am I the least grateful? Where did I notice God in these moments?
- These questions are inspired by the chapter on “Examen” in Spiritual Disciplines Handbook by Adele Calhoun. ↩︎
