Friday night I had a lock-in with our youth. We had an amazingly fun time as usual. We also had a particularly meaningful time spiritually. My daughter, Ruth, and I had laid out a labyrinth on the floor of our fellowship hall using painter’s tape. (pictured to the right) Today, I want share with you that experience and offer you some practical prayer tools that you can benefit from even if you do not have access to a labyrinth.
For those of you unfamiliar with the labyrinth as a prayer tool, at first glance it looks like a complex maze, but it is not. The labyrinth is a single winding path leading to a large circle in the middle. There are no dead ends or false turns. The most famous labyrinth is probably the labyrinth in the floor of the Cathedral in Chartres, France. (pictured below and to the left)
When I walk a labyrinth I typically have an open-handed agenda. That means, I have a clear prayer focus, but I hold it loosely, trusting that God will respond and that I should be open to whatever response God offers. This past week I reflected, during the walk in, on God’s many blessing in 2008. I thanked God for those blessings. I also let go of and put to rest any loose ends from the past year.
In the center of the labyrinth I sat and listened for what God would love from me during 2009. My sense was that God wants me to really slow down and enjoy life. It is not so much a matter of God desiring me to weed out active, but rather be fully in what I am doing and enjoying it. Celebrate that life is good and love the people around me.
On the way out, I reflected on what it would concretely mean for me to celebrate the goodness of my life right now and love the people around me. I tried picturing how this year will look if I were focus on those two thing. I prayerful mused on that as I exited the labyrinth. I came out feeling refreshed and blessed.
You can achieve a similar experience to a labyrinth walk by simple taking a walk and staying focused on a singular prayer throughout your journey. These are the key features that you need to keep in place for that to happen:
- Pick a singular prayer focus, such as some particular guidance you are seeking.
- Decide where you are going to walk to. Make it some place you can walk to without really consciously thinking much about getting there. Or perhaps, go to a park and walk a trail. Pick a walk that round trip will take you may be 15-20 minutes. Lastly, pick one that has a stopping point in the middle or a turn around point where you can pause for reflecting.
- Start your walk inviting God’s presence. God’s already there, but I find I have to do this to remind myself of that simple truth. It also kind of flags the beginning of your time so that you can start to shift your focus.
- As you walk “in” let go of any distracting thoughts, try to center your attention around your prayer focus.
- When you get to the “middle”, be open and listen for what God has to say about it. What do I mean by listen? I have had almost no times when God has audible spoken to me. I relax and with my question in mind pay attention to the thoughts, images and memories that come my way. I especially pay attention to those things that arise in my mind that are particularly vivid or seem to cause great peace in me.
- When you are ready to go walk out with thanks. Mentally let go of and resolve to leave behind anything that will impede you from following what you gather from God. Try to clearly envision what it will mean for you to be whole heartedly responsive to God.
This type of process can be very enriching to your relationship with God. First, how many of us ever take 15-20 minutes to spend with God about just one issue in our lives? A walk will artificially force you to do that. Second, a slow walk seems to mentally slow us down in order to listen better to God. Lastly, a walk physically separates us from other people and activity in order to allow us a grace space to encounter God.
I hope if nothing else after reading this post you will take a slow meandering walk with God and just have a long talk. Trust me it is a whole lot better than sitting at home and watching television. If you want to know more about the labyrinth specifically then check out some of the links below. If you follow the first link you can find a labyrinth near you, do a virtual one on-line with your mouse or print one out to follow with your finger. I find following one with my finger to be a very different experience than walking. Check it out for yourself though because many find that to be a very enriching prayer discipline.
Blessings to you from The Practical Disciple
A few years ago I was out at a lake walking a trail. There was a lot of pain in my life at that particular time and I needed to walk and pray for a while. It was a beautiful day and as I prayed I remember pleading with God to let me know he heard me. About that time I rounded a corner on the trail to find a large wooden cross in the ground ahead. “Thanks for listening Jesus” I said, with a tear rolling down my cheek.
I don’t doubt that we are heard. But we don’t take the time to talk and listen like we need to.
Good Post.
nice post John. I have had this experience many times. God always speaks to me in those moments when I consciously open my mind to it, many times in walking meditation (I have done the Labyrinth several times)or centering mediation. It seems like God often makes things clear when I choose to release the clutter between my ears.
It is odd I recently wrote on how I had a similar experience.
Courtney
There is something about walking that lulls the fretting agenda mind into a restful place so that we can hear again God calling. Walking isn’t the only activity that can do this. I find that any activity that I can physically do with limited conscious engagement, particularly rhythmic activities can stimulate what I call this wandering type of response. Thanks for your comments Courtney. I appreciate you.
The labyrinth at Ferncliff was a source of great time spent with God. John touched on the ‘peace’ you feel after this experience, which is amazing. The realisation that talking to God(prayer) is something I should not dread, but embrace was an Eye-opener. It also is something that renews and recharges us- something I know I need in my busy life. If you get a chance to ‘walk’ with God in a labyrinth, I would recommend it highly!