Deepening Opportunity by Maritza
Fasting and prayer are spiritual disciplines that become easier as we practice them. And they are intended to improve us as we practice them. That’s why we practice them, like practicing a skill, like an athlete, or a musician, or a student practices. When we take the time to pray and fast, we are offering our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, as a spiritual act of worship (Romans 12:1-3). This very process transforms, and then, renews our minds. Then we can hear God’s voice and know what his will is. What an amazing process. What a gift. What an opportunity.
Let us celebrate this Sabbath as a time to fast and pray and enjoy the Lord. Focusing on the Lord will, in fact, help us to “go deeper,” as Pastor Mark has recently encouraged us to do.
One tool for deepening is a practice we call holy reading (or Lectio Divina in Latin). Below is a short guide, as an example from my experience, to introduce this practice. It is intended to give you a model and the opportunity to practice a new skill that you can use anytime with the Lord.
Session 1: EXAMPLE Holy Reading (Lectio Divina) guide
During this session we are practicing “holy reading” (Lectio Divina) which includes reading, meditation, prayer, and contemplation.
First, I read Psalm 27:1
“The Lord is my light and my salvation--whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life-- of whom shall I be afraid?”
To prepare myself, I find a quiet place to sit or stand where I can be comfortable and relaxed for 15-30 minutes. I have a Bible with me and maybe something to write on because I like to write. I take several deep breaths which helps me focus and be still. It looks like this: I breathe in my nose and count slowly, silently as I breathe in (1, 2, 3, 4, 5). I breathe out my mouth and count slowly (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) as I breathe out. I do this several times. I ask the Holy Spirit to shine his light in my mind and heart as I read his word.
I read Psalm 27:1 again.
“The Lord is my light and my salvation--whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life-- of whom shall I be afraid?
Now I meditate on Psalm 27:1 What does the verse mean? What are different ways of understanding some of the words? What words stand out to me? What is this saying for me today? What do I need to apply? How specifically can I apply this? Who can I share this with to help me or help them?
Here are some of my thoughts…What does the Lord is my “light” mean? What is dark in me, in my world? Physical light? Lack of understanding? I see (I imagine) a lantern on a table, a candle in the window, a light left on above the door, a nightlight in the hall, a lighthouse on a cliff…How is the Lord “my salvation”? Certainly, he saves my soul…he saves my body, he can save my job, my home, my children, my parents…my life. “Whom shall I fear?” This is a big one, right now. Who/what do I fear? Sickness, loss, pain, death, mine? My family’s? My friends? My neighbors?
“The Lord is my light and my salvation--whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life-- of whom shall I be afraid?
What are some of your thoughts?
I pray. I talk to God aloud, I write my thoughts out, I take a walk and talk to God silently, or I put in my ear-buds, so people think I’m talking to a person, and I am; I’m talking out loud to God. I tell him what I read and what I thought and how I feel. I tell him what comforts me. I tell him what challenges me. I tell him what scares me. I allow myself to feel…The Lord is the stronghold of my life – of whom shall I be afraid? I cry because I am afraid. I feel this. And I bring this in my heart to God. I bring my heart in my hands, open before God. And God meets me in this place. And he wraps his arms around me. And I feel his love. I stay in this place until I find God in this. I wait for God. God waits for me….
I contemplate. I listen. I stop trying to fill the silence. I stop talking, stop thinking. I simply breathe deeply and stop trying. I am still. I wait for the Lord. I breathe. I listen. I wait for God to be my stronghold. To hold me strongly. To be my light. To enlighten my heart, my mind. I wait for God to fill my fear with his Presence so that his perfect love casts out my fear. I wait for his Presence to fill me with peace. I wait for his Presence to fill me with the fullness of joy. I wait for Him to lighten my darkness and fear and fill it with the light of his Presence and love. (Psalm 46, 1John 4:7ff, Psalm 16: Ephesians 2:14)
Session Two: PRACTICE Holy reading (Lectio Divina)
Now it’s your turn to practice holy reading (Lectio Divina)
First find a quiet place to breathe and focus. Ask the Holy Spirit to enlighten you.
Read: Psalm 27:13-14 (NIV)
I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. (NIV)
and/or
I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living!
Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! (ESV)
Mediate: What does the verse mean? What are different ways of understanding some of the words? What words stand out to me? What is this saying for me today? What do I need to apply? How specifically can I apply this? Who can I share this with to help me or help them?
Pray: Talk to God. Be. Yourself. With. God.
Contemplate: Then Listen to God. Listen for God. Just Listen. Listen.
Now that you have practiced a couple of sessions of holy reading (Lectio Divina) including meditation and prayer, what have you heard the Lord saying to you? Is there anything you need to confess and repent of? Take more time to talk to God, to confess, ask forgiveness, and submit this area of your life and heart to God. You might write out a prayer. You might need to write a card or note of apology to someone. What does confession and repentance mean for you in this moment? The point is to align yourself in right relationship with God and others. James tells us that the effective prayer of a righteous person has great power. (5:16)
Then spend time thanking God for his generous forgiveness, for his continual kindness and care of us! What answers to prayer have you seen this week or last week? In what areas do you see growth in yourself? What are you learning about yourself?
What are you learning about God? Psalms tells us that God dwells in the praises of his people. (22:3) Isn’t that a beautiful image? Take this time to savor the sweetness of gratitude and praise. Another Psalm tells us that in his presence there is fullness of joy. (Ps 16)
Allow his presence to fill you with joy!
In his presence (which is always) our posture is worship, humility, gratitude, thankfulness. We have practiced holy reading (Lectio Divina), and we have spent considerable time in prayer. We may also be practicing fasting. All this has been a spiritual act of worship. Remember that this very process transforms and then renews our minds. Then we can hear God’s voice and know what his will is. We are fine tuning our minds to know what is “good and acceptable and perfect” before the Lord. (Rom 12:1-2, ESV) We are deepening and learning to abide in his presence.
Bonus: Intercession for the world
As we have been praying for the Coronavirus these last few weeks, we have prayed for ourselves, our communities (including medical personnel), our leaders, and our country. One area that can get overlooked is praying for our world. This pandemic clearly shows us is how interconnected we all are, not just locally but also globally. Thus, we also want to intercede for our global community: the world.
Here’s a prayer for the world modeled after the Lord’s Prayer that Jesus taught us in Matthew 6. Take some time and personalize this prayer (as a guide) as you lift up the needs of our world in this pandemic.
Dear Heavenly Father, Our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Eternal Spirit, we worship you as the Creator and sustainer of heaven and earth, the One who was from the beginning, through whom all was made that has been made. We worship and lift up your name. We fall on our knees before you to bring our broken world to you. This world that you love, Lord, is in deep pain at this time. You see the novel corona virus that is moving like a darkness covering the globe. We pray, Lord, for our/your fragile and precious world, the earth and all upon it. We pray against the darkness of the corona virus. We pray healing for those currently stricken; we pray comfort for those currently grieving and mourning. So many places in the world have no access to water, soap, sanitizers, medicine, hospitals, respirators. We pray, Lord, for your protection over the poor and the most vulnerable of the world. We pray for believers all over the world to join in one voice to free the world of this sickness. We also pray for protection over medical workers everywhere. We pray for medicine, science, and miracles to come together to save lives all over the world.
Wherever the global church needs to repent and ask forgiveness, may we repent. Wherever the global church needs to offer praise and worship, may we magnify your name. Wherever the global church needs to submit to your will and usher in your kingdom, may your kingdom come and your will be done. We pray, Lord, for the provision of daily bread and basic physical needs (food, water, shelter, hygiene) for the many hungry and poor in the world, made even more vulnerable by closed borders and lost work. We pray you protect your followers everywhere from temptation that we might not bring a shadow upon your name. We pray you deliver us all from evil, specifically from the evil of this virus. We pray for your global church to be protected and to be salt and light, your hands and feet to serve the poor, the needy, the sick, the dying. May your kingdom come and your will be done on this earth as it is in heaven. Amen.