top of page
Prayer Resources

Praying the Examen

The Examen is an age-old prayer that reviews the day while spending time with God. You can pray it at the beginning of the day, the end of the day, or somewhere in between. 

​

Here is a rephrased version of the Examen to help you apply it to your life. For more details on each step, check out Pastor Jason's blog posts. or the sermon podcast for 1/15/23.

​

Step 1, Experience: Orient yourself to the reality that God is here with you.

​

Step 2, Thankfulness: Rather than beginning with problem solving, begin with what is working. Do you have a roof over your head? A working car? Shoes on your feet? A meal? A friend? Spend time savoring such things and thanking God for them.

​

Step 3, Remember: Reflect with the Holy Spirit on the past day or hours, the full human experience, while embracing the highlights.

​

Step 4, Repent: Turn toward God and what you were made to be.

 

Step 5, Focused Connection: Consider the day ahead and pray for an area where you could really use a special connection with God.

Prayer Tips

How to Get Started

  • Prayer is simply humans talking with God.

  • Pray from wherever you are at in life, however you are feeling.

  • Pray how you can, rather than worrying about praying how you can't.

  • There is no right or wrong way to pray, but it is helpful to have a way to pray.

  • The best way to learn to pray is to do it.

​

Prayer Posture

  • Prayer involves both external (physical) and internal posture.

  • External posture includes your location, movement, and body position.

    • Location can be inside or outside, or a certain part of the room or the church. The right location can put us in a better mindset for prayer.

    • Movement can be fast, slow, or still. It can involve walking, pacing, clapping hands, or other motions.

    • Body position can either demonstrate or create our mental or emotional position. It can include kneeling, standing, raising hands, lifting hands, and so on.

  • The best internal posture for prayer is to be unhurried. We can pray during natural moments of pause during the day, or we can choose prayer during our free times.

​

​

​

bottom of page