Follow up to our Lent Course - Session 2

On this page, we have some items to help you catch up with the last session of the Lent Course and some additional material to help you go deeper.

What we covered on the night

We thought through how we can get better at relating to God in prayer as well hearing Rowan’s experience of prayer through her life. Feel free to watch these back below.

During the evening we also had the opportunity to try out four different styles of prayer, all of which included times of listening to God as well as presenting our requests. These were:

Lectio Divina

Choose a bible passage, remember these are God’s words and they speak here and now.
Read the passage or psalm out loud a few words at a time – repeat words or phrases whenever you feel like it,
Linger wherever you feel drawn or moved by what you have read, these feelings are often a springboard for growth, own them and pray with them.
Respond to what has moved you, to God in prayer (and to your group?)
Talk to God about your feelings, doubts, concerns, joys. Be honest and speak as if talking to a good friend.

ACTS Structured Prayer:

Adoration – choose a passage to focus upon, for example Psalm 8, 100 or 148. Read it and use it to praise God for who he is and what he has done.
Confession – be specific and honest in your confession, admit the sin not just the action.
Thanksgiving – you could give thanks for answered prayers, spiritual blessings, relational blessings and material blessings
Supplication – present your requests to God. Keep a list of your prayers and revisit it in three weeks to recognise (and thank God for) answered prayer.

Spiritual Listening

This is an exercise in listening for the Spirit with a particular focus. It is designed to be conducted in a pair or small group.
God speaks through words, pictures, sounds, thoughts.
Matthew 18:20 states that “Where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them”, hence the Holy Spirit is with you and he will speak to you.
Give God the benefit of the doubt – you will never be sure it is God who is speaking until it is tested.
Pray for your partner, then pray that the spirit will speak and reveal something about this person.
Then spend time listening – jot down up three things that come into your mind.
Now feedback – do not interpret, just share pictures etc. some may be understood, some may not. Make sure what you share is positive to build up the body of Christ.
Thank God for speaking to and through you.

Praying Through Symbols

Choose an image that you feel drawn to. This could be a photograph, icon or an object. The sample questions below relate to a photograph of a scene.
Prayerfully consider the following whilst listening got God. Do not rush.

What does your object look like? Explore every part of it as mindfully as you can.
What can you see, what is hidden?
What do you think is on the other side?
Where are you in the picture?
How do you feel about where you are?
Where is Jesus in this picture? If you wish, talk to him.

Now take a few minutes to reflect on your time of prayer.
If you want to write anything down, then please do.

There are plenty more ideas for creative prayer in the Rochester Diocese Prayer Pack. You’ll find it by clicking here.

The only way to develop your prayer life is to pray, but some books have been recommended to help you.