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“Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my concerns.
See if there is any offensive way in me;
lead me in the everlasting way.”Psalm 139:23-24, CSB
In last week’s letter, we paid attention to these words of prayer from King David as he cried out to God asking Him to search his heart. Here, David points to the importance of self-examination and reflection in the spiritual life and how a regular practice of both is a way to invite the Holy Spirit to draw close so that we may be formed more into the image of Jesus.
If you missed that letter or would like to revisit it, you can do so here: The Power of Self-Examination
Self-examination can sound like a harsh, intimidating practice. But because we follow a loving and tender God, we can trust that when we do invite the Spirit to search us and point to what aches and hurts and perhaps needs to be changed, we will always be met with kindness and grace.
With God, we truly have nothing to fear — nothing to hide — that can’t be transformed by the loving power of Jesus.
Today, I want to introduce you to a spiritual practice that can help you begin implementing a regular rhythm of self-examination and reflection. That spiritual practice is called The Daily Examen. I thought The Daily Examen would be a gentle way to introduce you to self-examination and reflection because it invites us to become more aware of the presence of God in the everyday.
Let’s jump in!
An Introduction to The Daily Examen
The Daily Examen is a Christian contemplative practice that was created by Saint Ignatius of Loyola as a way to prayerfully reflect on the events of your day with the Holy Spirit’s gentle guidance. The Daily Examen is an ancient practice that can help us behold the presence of God — notice the ways in which He makes Himself known — within the fabric of our daily lives. It’s typically practiced at the end of each day as a way of looking back and discerning the movements of God within your day, but you are welcome to practice it at whatever time works best for you.
Traditionally, The Daily Examen is a 5-step practice that includes:
Becoming aware of God’s presence with you
Reviewing the day in gratitude
Noticing the moments when God felt close
Noticing the moments when God felt distant or absent
Looking ahead in hope for tomorrow
The Daily Examen can also be used as a reflection tool at the end of each week, month, or year. For the sake of today’s letter, we’re going to be taking a look at this practice through the lens of a single day, but you are welcome to apply these steps weekly, monthly, or annually if you feel led to.
The 5-Step Process of The Daily Examen
Now, let’s begin, together, with the Holy Spirit as our gentle, faithful Guide by unpacking in greater detail the 5-step process of The Daily Examen.
Step 1: Become aware of God’s presence with you
As you begin The Daily Examen, pause and take a few moments to become aware of God’s presence with you. You can do this by closing your eyes, entering into a few moments of silence, and welcoming the Lord’s Spirit to guide your reflections with a simple prayer. Ask the Lord to help you review the day through His loving eyes. Ask Him to give you His perspective, giving you eyes to see all the ways in which He was present with you throughout the day. Becoming aware of God’s presence is a beautiful way to begin any practice because it helps us recenter our focus on the Holy Spirit which invites the Light to illumine the events of our day in Love and truth.
You may even begin with King David’s words that we’ve been looking at in Psalm 139:
“Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my concerns.
See if there is any offensive way in me;
lead me in the everlasting way.”Psalm 139:23-24, CSB
His words are a prayer of openness and intimacy that invites the Holy Spirit to behold us and all that we are as we attempt to behold more of Him. This is a prayer of love and communion as we ask God to draw close to every part of us and reveal His kind and loving presence to us.
Step 2: Review the day in gratitude
As you settle into the silence with God, take a moment to reflect on the things, places, or people that God gave you as gifts throughout your day. Praise Him for His goodness, noticing where the Light poured in and made Himself known. Linger here as long as you’d like, basking in and receiving the hesed (loving-kindness) of the Holy Spirit before moving on to step 3.
Step 3: Notice the moments when God’s presence felt close
Starting at the beginning of your day, moving through the middle, and making your way to the end, reflect on all the ways that God made His presence known to you. When did He feel closest? He’s always revealing Himself to us, and there’s no such thing as a small encounter with God. Pay attention to every moment in which you felt like God was present. Was there a kind stranger in the grocery store who offered a smile, making you feel seen? Was a coworker present today to help you with that big project? Did a mourning dove come and land gently just right outside your window? God makes Himself known to us in all things, and He’s inviting us to behold His love embodied in the world through the sacred moments of an ordinary day.
Step 4: Notice the moments when God’s presence felt distant or absent
After you’ve taken some time to notice the moments in your day when God’s presence felt close, you’ll gently transition into step 4. Once again, starting at the beginning of your day, moving through the middle, and making your way to the end, reflect on the moments throughout your day when God’s presence felt distant. As you begin to notice these moments, ponder why you think His presence felt far away. This step in The Daily Examen is a beautiful opportunity to practice repentance — turning toward God and receiving His grace and mercy. Did you snap at your kiddos or impatiently respond to your spouse? Did the stress and anxiety of your day consume you, drawing you away from God’s peace? Did a root of bitterness or resentment or gossip rise up at any time? There are a number of things that tend to distract us from the presence of God, bombarding us with the things of this world rather than what’s lasting and eternal. As you notice these moments in your day, enter into a time of receiving God’s loving forgiveness, which He is always so ready to joyously give.
Step 5: Look ahead in hope for tomorrow
In this final step of The Daily Examen, take a few moments to pause and think about the day you have ahead of you. Check in with yourself and how you’re feeling about tomorrow. What emotions are you carrying? What rises up? What’s on your schedule that you feel excited or anxious about? If you find that there are some heavy emotions related to tomorrow, invite God into that space with you and lay them at His feet, asking Him for His peace and guidance. If you’re feeling neutral or excited about tomorrow, also invite Him into that space, sharing your joy with Him. We end our time in this practice by declaring that no matter what tomorrow brings, our hope is securely rooted in the Love of Jesus, and nothing — no person, thing, or circumstance — could ever alter that truth.
Romans 8:38-39 is an excellent verse to pray or recite when concluding the final step of The Daily Examen,
“And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (NLT)
Jesus is the only secure anchor of hope for, and the ultimate Lover of, our souls.
Thanks be to God.
An Intimate Invitation
The Daily Examen gets us into a regular rhythm of beholding more of God with us in the everyday. A natural effect of that is paying more attention to our own hearts in light of God’s grace. Ultimately, as we learn to abide in intimate relationship with Jesus — inviting Him to search our hearts and days — the more we come to trust that He will always point out in us that which is keeping us from receiving more of Him.
I pray that as you begin implementing this spiritual practice that you would start to notice how close the presence of God really is. I pray you wouldn’t shy away from the things within you that may need to be healed or rearranged, but that you would approach God in confidence knowing that He receives all of you and loves you far too much to let you remain the same.
And may you let His grace carry you forward.
With you on the journey,
Celia
Life Lately
A Breath Prayer for Your Weekend
Inhale: Search me, God.
Exhale: And know my heart.
(adapted from Psalm 139:23, CSB)
*If you’d like to learn more about the practice of breath prayer, download this complete digital guide to practicing breath prayer.
Resources & Good Things to Pick Up
One of my favorite writers and podcasters, Reverend Summer Joy Gross, on her podcast, The Presence Project, offers a 7.5-minute nightly Examen recording that will walk you through the 5 Examen steps. This is an incredible resource for those who are just beginning with this practice: Nightly Examen Recording
If you love podcasts, then here is another podcast episode from The Discerning Leader podcast about the spiritual practice of Examen. Their version of this practice is a bit different, but maybe you will resonate with it on a deeper level: Daily Examen
My mom is an ovarian cancer survivor who decided to create an encouraging planner for those walking through their cancer journey. It would also be a life-giving tool for caregivers and loved ones walking beside their cancer warrior. The ‘For Such a Time as This’ planner is officially available for purchase now here: Quiet Hope Co.
My Etsy shop, The Beholding Co., offers contemplative resources to help you slow down, seek still moments, and behold God’s presence with you in the everyday. Purchase some breath prayer cards, a Lectio Divina bookmark, and more.
Grab a copy of my Bible study, You Are Beloved: a 21-day study on how to root your identity in the love of God, over on Amazon. If you’d like a free 3-day sample of the study, reply to this email and I’ll send it right over!
My friend and licensed spiritual director, Kari Bartkus, offers an 8-week journaling program for those who want to process their grief and trauma with God within the safety of blank journal pages. I’ve completed the program myself and can say confidently that it was incredibly impactful and healing: Journal Gently
An Invitation to Pause & Reflect
A regular practice of reflection helps us recognize what’s going on beneath the surface of our souls so we can name it in the Lord’s presence. Because as we learn to name what we feel, what we need, and what we long for, we’re also learning to discern the Spirit’s sweet, gentle voice within our hearts and lives.
Take a few moments today or this weekend to journal or contemplate with the Holy Spirit the following question(s) or prompt(s):
If you choose to begin practicing The Daily Examen, pay attention to how this rhythm is forming you. Where are you seeing God most within your days? What do you notice is keeping you from a deeper relationship with Jesus?
If you choose not to engage with The Daily Examen, what other small rhythms of self-examination or reflection might you begin implementing?
This one so speaks to me. Just this morning during a lectio divena, the Lord showed me that I need to rest my soul in him. Thank you for your transparent sharing of what God is speaking to you.