Prayer in the Park
As we come off the heels of our Sabbath series, today, we'll be taking some time in groups of around seven to put into practice what we learned by praying through the four movements of sabbath: stop, rest, delight, and worship.
Stop
Take five minutes together to be still and quiet, letting go of (entrusting to God) all the distractions and noise in your mind. Acknowledge and bring before God any failures, stresses, worries, or distractions you may be carrying. Together, let’s put into practice Psalm 46:10 "Be still and know I am God." This is a time to simply stop and to release all of your concerns into His hands.
For those whose mind struggles to settle, a simple breath prayer can help our minds stop and focus on God. Pick a short phrase from Scripture or even a lyric from a worship song and pray the words in your mind or just under your breath alongside the rising and falling of our breath. Pick one for the next few minutes to try, if you don’t already have a regular breath prayer practice, some examples…
“Abba // I belong to you.” (Rom. 8:15, Gal. 4:6 and Breath Prayer of Brennan Manning)
“The Lord is my Shepherd // I have what I need.” (Ps. 23)
“Lord Jesus Christ // have mercy on me, a sinner” or just simply, “Jesus // have mercy.” (Mk. 10:47-48 and the breath prayer of the Desert Fathers & Mothers)
“When I am afraid // I put my trust in you.” (Ps. 56:3)
“Jesus [or Immanuel] // you are here [or here with me.]” (Mt. 1:23 and breath prayer of Christine Li Suh)
“My soul finds rest // in God alone.” (Ps. 62:1)
Rest
While "Stop" was about simply being still and quiet in God's presence, this section is about taking time to rest and be refreshed in God's love and grace. Take 10 minutes to rest in God's promises and presence by having members of the group take turns reading and meditating on the passages below out loud. Let the words and truth of these passages sink in, and allow them to bring peace and rest to your heart and mind.
(Tap each of the scriptures to expand the text for reading.)
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“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion?
Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life.
I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it.
Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you.
Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly
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The LORD is my shepherd;
I have what I need.
He lets me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside quiet waters.
He renews my life;
he leads me along the right paths for his name’s sake.
Even when I go through the darkest valley, I fear no danger, for you are with me; your rod and your staff—they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Only goodness and faithful love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD as long as I live.
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I am at rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I will never be shaken.
Rest in God alone, my soul, for my hope comes from him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I will not be shaken.
My salvation and glory depend on God, my strong rock.
My refuge is in God.
Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts before him.
God is our refuge.
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My goal is to know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death, assuming that I will somehow reach the resurrection from among the dead.
Not that I have already reached the goal or am already perfect, but I make every effort to take hold of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus.
Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus.
Join in imitating me, brothers and sisters, and pay careful attention to those who live according to the example you have in us.
For I have often told you, and now say again with tears, that many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction; their god is their stomach; their glory is in their shame; and they are focused on earthly things,
Our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly wait for a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will transform the body of our humble condition into the likeness of his glorious body, by the power that enables him to subject everything to himself.
So then, my dearly loved and longed-for brothers and sisters, my joy and crown, in this manner stand firm in the Lord, dear friends.
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The LORD is my light and my salvation— whom should I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life— whom should I dread?
When evildoers came against me to devour my flesh, my foes and my enemies stumbled and fell.
Though an army deploys against me, my heart will not be afraid; though a war breaks out against me, I will still be confident.
I have asked one thing from the LORD; it is what I desire: to dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, gazing on the beauty of the LORD and seeking him in his temple.
For he will conceal me in his shelter in the day of adversity; he will hide me under the cover of his tent; he will set me high on a rock.
Then my head will be high above my enemies around me; I will offer sacrifices in his tent with shouts of joy.
I will sing and make music to the LORD. LORD, hear my voice when I call; be gracious to me and answer me.
My heart says this about you: “Seek his face.” LORD, I will seek your face.
Do not hide your face from me; do not turn your servant away in anger. You have been my helper; do not leave me or abandon me, God of my salvation.
Even if my father and mother abandon me, the LORD cares for me.
Because of my adversaries, show me your way, LORD, and lead me on a level path.
Do not give me over to the will of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, breathing violence.
I am certain that I will see the LORD’s goodness in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart be courageous. Wait for the LORD.
Delight
This section is about delighting in God's blessings and gifts. Continue in prayer over 10 minutes to reflect on all that God has done and continues to do in your life and the lives of others in your group. Celebrate God's work in the spiritual and extraordinary like salvation, answered prayers, and the fruit of the Spirit in others, (let this be a time to delight in God and encourage each other) and also delight in God's work in the daily and ordinary things like coffee, dinner, relationships or the weather. Give thanks for all the blessings and gifts God has given and focus on His goodness and grace.
In this section, start each prayer with, “thank you for…” or “thank you that…”
Worship
Worship is an extension of delight where we orient and reorient our lives around the God we delight in. In this section, spend 20 minutes praying for God’s name to be set apart as holy, for his kingdom to come and his will to be done, on earth as it is in Heaven in some of the following areas:
Pray for those in Collective Church experiencing hardship, anxiety, or pain. Pray that God bring them healing and comfort and would provide you with wisdom for loving, serving, and caring for them.
If you are currently experiencing hardship, anxiety, pain or loss, take this time to name it out loud before God and your group, and allow the group to pray over you.
Pray for the changes happening next month where serving on Sundays becomes one of the regular rhythms of our regional networks, that it would breathe new life into our regional networks and result in a greater impact not just on serving, but community and discipleship.
Pray for the next series on the identity of Jesus in John’s Gospel and the upcoming Easter Season, in particular for baptisms of new believers and renewed faith for those currently living apart from Jesus.
Pray for our time in John’s Gospel to bring us deeper into who Jesus is and what that means for who we are.
Ask God to continue and increase his work during the response times of our gatherings over the past few months.
Ask God to help you name 2-3 people he’s calling you to reach in the coming weeks.