Some days it feels as if there just isn’t enough time to get it all done. Some weeks feel so busy and are so filled with meetings that although we are serving God, it’s hard to see or hear Him. What about prayer? How the heck do we do that in the midst of planning a retreat, prepping for worship, working on the spring calendar and taking kids to soccer practice? Is it really possible to slow down and connect with God in the midst of real life?
In monasteries, monks connect with God throughout the day by praying the Divine Hours, also known as Fixed Hour Prayer. They have seven to eight fixed times of prayer a day that they participate in every day, 365 days a year. These also are called sacred pauses that give rhythm and encourage those who pray the hours to pause in their day and remember God. It’s not just monks and nuns—many people around the globe pray the hours. I’ve participated in praying the Divine Hours at a monastery, on retreats and at the sanctuary space at NYWC, but currently it’s not the best prayer practice for me. I am much more like the Celtic Christians of old who prayed along the way and prayed in the midst of their everyday lives and chores.
While I’m not one who daily prays the Hours, I do believe that in the midst of our crazy lives, it is vital to take time out during each day to pray and be reminded of what God is doing in our lives. That means stopping in the midst of things and intentionally connecting with Him.
So, here are several opportunities to pray in the midst of your life at work. Some involve praying with an item, such as meditating on a Sharpie marker, a piece of paper, or making a cup of tea. There are ways to pray for your church, neighborhood and the world. Some are longer than others, so feel free to break them down into more than one station or prayer time. Try one or two during the next few days. Practice slowing down so you can teach others to slow down and pray, too.
You can practice these Sacred Pauses anywhere…at your desk at home, in your office and some in a coffee shop. While you can invite others, including students, into these moments with you, I recommend using them first to connect with God throughout your normal day.
Sharpie Marker: Grab a Sharpie and draw a heart on the palm of your hand. Look at your hand and the heart. How is your heart feeling today? Are you feeling loved? Are you feeling lonely, are you stressed or peaceful?
Now, close your hand tightly. Is your heart feeling squeezed of its love, or is it feeling sheltered and protected today? Talk to God about this.
Open your hand and look at the heart again. Imagine your hand being God’s hand, holding your heart. Are you allowing God to hold you today?
Allow God to care for you today.
Write on your hand below the heart: “I am loved.” Say aloud, “I am loved, and God holds me in the palm of His hand.”
Sit with that for a few minutes and allow God’s love to surround you and embrace you (Isa. 49:8-16).
Copy Paper: Take out a piece of copy paper from your printer or the copy machine in the office. Consider the paper: blank, clean, smooth; ready for someone to write on it; ready for something to be stamped or printed on it; ready for content, words, images, ideas.
What words or images have been written on the piece of paper that is you/your life this week? Have other people scribbled on the sheet? Have words of hurt, hate, anger or bitterness been written on the sheet by other people? Talk to God about this.
What about you? Have you written words of love or words of hurt on your paper this week? Are you writing love letters to yourself, or is your self-talk destructive?
Consider what you tell or write to yourself…the words or pictures you tell yourself. Are they positive or negative? Are you feeling encouraged or shamed by what you are writing or drawing about yourself?
Now take a look at the page again.
God gives us a clean sheet each day—each hour if we want or need it. What do you want to write on the sheet of paper? What pictures do you want to draw? What images and words do you want to share with yourself, with God, with others?
Take five minutes and write or draw a prayer to God. Place it on your wall, in your journal, or somewhere you will see it again and be reminded that you always can start again with a clean sheet of paper, and with God’s help you can create a beautiful story and an amazing picture. You don’t have to live with the smudges, dirty words or torn corners.
Print a document: Consider the document you are working on…the newsletter, the article, the handout. You chose the font; you chose the content. You prepared the document so people actually would read it. You invested time, effort, consideration and care. Consider for a moment how much more important you are than a document.
• God chose you.
• God chose you for Himself.
• God has chosen you for the task at hand.
• God has prepared you for just this time and this place.
Spend some time thanking God for this.
Worship Space:
Space 1: Go into the sanctuary/worship space and sit down on the steps or the stage facing the empty seats. You can do this in your youth room/youth space, too.
Who are the people God brings to mind as you are still and present in the space? Picture them sitting there. Pray for them, their needs, their hurts, etc. Ask God to show you what their needs really are.
Now consider who is missing from this space. Who do you know who hasn’t been around in a while, or maybe has never joined your worship family? Pray for them. Be still. Allow God to show you those people; allow God to speak to you.
Think about the other people who sit/stand regularly on that stage or space—musicians, choir members, pastors, readers, etc. Take time to pray for them. What are their needs today?
Space 2: Now change where you are sitting. Go sit where the students and/or congregation sits.
What do you see? Ask God to show you what these students and congregation members see from their spots in the pews. Ask God to show you more about yourself as you are in front of the people you are contemplating. Take some time and consider your roll. Thank God for the gift of your job and the gifts of the people with whom you work.
Consider: Any changes you need to make? Any things for which you need to apologize? Give these things to Jesus. Allow Jesus to heal/forgive and inspire you.
Space 3: Now sit or lie down on the floor. Take some time to listen and be still in the space. Are you willing to listen and learn from Jesus? Are you willing to sit at His feet and learn? Talk to Him about this. Then, thank God for the gift of your job and the gifts of the people with whom you work (students, staff, etc.).
Space 4: Praying around the church. Go outside your church building. Take a walk around the block or around your church campus. Pray for the neighborhood, the neighbors, the businesses that are present. Do you know your church neighbors? How can you meet them? Talk to God about ways you can engage your neighborhood (arts fair, farmer’s market, yard clean up, snow shoveling, litter pick up, etc.).
Sit on the front steps and pray. Take some time to look at the traffic: busy people going places; busy lives filled with joys and pains, hardships and successes. Pray for these people.
Now, pick a car. Maybe it’s one you drive; maybe it’s one you’d like to drive. Pray for the driver to know and experience the love of God. Every time you see this type of car in the coming days, pray for the driver and passengers to experience the love and joy of Jesus.
5. Newspapers: Too often we become frustrated about what is going on in the world. We tend only to hear bad news, too, especially in our work with students. We focus only on the bad stuff around us and forget those around the world. One way to combat this frustration is to take time to pray through the news.
Stop whatever you are working on and go to your favorite news website or app. What headline catches your eye first? Pray for that place, event, person.
Go down the headlines and pray for each one, asking God to be present and for God’s peace and love to be at work in the lives of the people in these situations, praying for everything: celebrities, world leaders, conflicts, congress, natural disaster, etc.
Next, choose a local news site or local newspaper. Look through those headlines. Who do you know who has been affected by tragedy? With whom can you praise? What local businesses need God’s touch? Talk to God about those people. Remember to let God carry these things (not you).
Take a Post-it Note® and write down two or three things to continue to pray for the rest of the day or week. Place the Post-it Note® on your computer, on your Bible, back of your cell phone, or somewhere you will see it throughout the day to remind you to pray.
6. Coffee, Tea or Water: What beverage is on your desk right now? Coffee, tea, water, soda? How does the beverage on your desk relate to your life with God right now? How does it relate to what you need in your life with God? Ask God to show you.
Consider: Are you feeling as if you need a little caffeine or a lot? Do you need some added fizz? Are you feeling flat? Are you getting enough sustenance on your journey? Enough refreshment? Are you sharing living water or keeping it for yourself? What flavor are you sharing with others? Is it strong, too bitter?
Take time to talk to Jesus about where you are and where you’d like to be. Talk to God about this as you drink.
Online Resources: To take a break from it all for two minutes, try DoNothingFor2Minutes.com. The key really is to do nothing for two minutes. I failed the first two times trying to close out other windows. Do not touch your computer for the entire two minutes. Just sit and be. Enjoy the ocean and be with Jesus.
A great 10-minute reflection can be found on SacredSpace.ie, which is a website hosted by the Irish Jesuits. Even if you are not Catholic, you will enjoy slowing down and reflecting on your day and on a short passage of Scripture.
A good introduction to Celtic Christianity and praying the hours/daily office is NorthUmbriaCommunity.org.
If you’re looking for more on praying fixed-hour prayers…there’s an app for that: DivineOffice.org.
Lilly Lewin is curator of Thinplace, and has co-authored with Dan Kimball Sacred Space: A Hands-On Guide to Creating Multi-Sensory Worship Experiences for Youth Ministry.
