This is a version of the five-step Daily Examen that St. Ignatius practiced.

1. Become aware of God’s presence.
2. Review the day with gratitude.
3. Pay attention to your emotions.
4. Choose one feature of the day and pray from it.
5. Look toward tomorrow.

Today is November 14  

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you.   
  
Take a moment and quiet yourself. Take a deep breath. Welcome God’s presence. And say, “Come Holy Spirit.”    
  
Today’s reading is from Psalm 37.   
  
      3 Trust in the LORD and do good;   
         dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.   
      4 Take delight in the LORD,   
         and he will give you the desires of your heart.   
       5 Commit your way to the LORD;   
         trust in him and he will do this:   
      6 He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,   
         your vindication like the noonday sun.   
   
God is faithful, and trustworthy. As you come to prayer today, take a bit of time to reflect on your experience of God’s faithfulness. Can you recall a specific memory where you saw God’s faithfulness to you? Take some time to sit with and remember that experience.  
   
The Psalms remind us time and time again to keep our eyes on God, and His character. We often come to prayer distracted, minds full or anxious. Can you slow down, and focus deeply on your time of prayer? Can you listen to the Psalm again, paying attention to each word. You might want to rewind, and play it back several times today.  
  
God is faithful, and trustworthy! He is our all in all, the bright morning star, the bringer and redeemer of life and truth and beauty and goodness. We can trust in Him. Right now, I sense an invitation for you to ask the Spirit to increase your faith. To deposit in you a faith that is a gift of grace, not something you muster up…… take time as we close to intercede for the church to grow in faith, hope, and love. Pray for your local church, and for other faith communities in your city.  
  
Music: "All The Ways" - Vineyard Worship 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TzLh0Za5jg

Today is November 13 
 
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.   
  
Take a moment and quiet yourself. Take a deep breath. Welcome God’s presence. And say, “Come Holy Spirit.”    
  
Today’s reading is from the book of Isaiah, chapter 26.   
  
      7 The path of the righteous is level;   
         you, the Upright One, make the way of the righteous smooth.   
      8 Yes, LORD, walking in the way of your laws,   
         we wait for you;   
         your name and renown   
         are the desire of our hearts.   
      9 My soul yearns for you in the night;   
         in the morning my spirit longs for you...   
          
The people of God have always done the work of walking in His ways, waiting for His presence, and longing for more of Him. This is the way of the ‘now and the not yet’. It is a way of both faithful obedience, and a faithful longing for more of His kingdom to come. What is it that stirs up your sense of longing for God’s kingdom to come?  
   
I feel very aware of the places of violence and pain in our world – the struggle in families – the experience of loneliness that pervades our culture. These realities make me long for the righteousness of God, for His presence, and for the shalom – the peace – that only He can bring. These realities also make me come alive to my own sense of calling to participate in the work of God’s kingdom. Listen to the reading again, and ask God to stir up in you a holy longing for more of Him.   
   
Where the presence of God is, is His power as well. We are called to wait on Him, to walk in His ways, to be people of His kingdom. Take time today to intercede for a new empowering of the church by the spirit of God, and for a fresh wave of his kingdom in the world around us.   
  Music: "No Rush" - Heaven & Earth 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1v0I-02AJA

Today is November 12.
  
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you.   
  
Take a moment and quiet yourself. Take a deep breath. Welcome God’s presence. And say, “Come Holy Spirit.”     
    
Today’s reading is from the book of Genesis, chapter 24.


12 Then he prayed, “Lord, God of my master Abraham, make me successful today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. 13 See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. 14 May it be that when I say to a young woman, ‘Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and I’ll water your camels too’—let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master.”  
15 Before he had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milkah, who was the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor. 16 The woman was very beautiful, a virgin; no man had ever slept with her. She went down to the spring, filled her jar and came up again.  
17 The servant hurried to meet her and said, “Please give me a little water from your jar.”  
18 “Drink, my lord,” she said, and quickly lowered the jar to her hands and gave him a drink.  
19 After she had given him a drink, she said, “I’ll draw water for your camels too, until they have had enough to drink.”  
26 Then the man bowed down and worshiped the Lord, 27 saying, “Praise be to the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his kindness and faithfulness to my master. As for me, the Lord has led me on the journey to the house of my master’s relatives.”  
  
  
The servant in this passage prays to the God of Abraham. He asks Abraham's God to give him success in this mission for Abraham in finding a wife for his Son Isaac. This servant asks that God would, in doing so, show his kindness and faithfulness toward Abraham. Is there something in your life that you would like to ask for God to bless? A situation where you need wisdom, or you need God’s provision for you or someone else?   

The prayer that Abraham’s servant prays is so humble, and so full of simple faith. “Lord make me successful today. And show kindness to my master Abraham.” Is that a prayer that you could pray for yourself? And for someone that you love? Do you believe that God would hear your prayer, and answer your prayer? As you hear the passage again, could you pray that prayer for you and for someone you know?   
    
The prayer is not just full of simple, humble faith, but also a prayer that is specific. On a very particular day, in a very particular situation, in a very particular moment, he prayed for particular things to happen. As you go through your day today, look for a very particular situation that you or someone you love are facing, and take a step to pray a very particular prayer for them, and ask for a particular outcome. And watch and see what the Lord does. 

Music: "Invitacion Fountain" - Vineyard Worship (YouTube)

Today is November 11.
  
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.    
  
Take a moment and quiet yourself. Take a deep breath. Welcome God’s presence. And say, “Come Holy Spirit.”     
    
Today’s reading is from Psalm 113.


1 Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord, you his servants; praise the name of the Lord.  
2 Let the name of the Lord be praised, both now and forevermore.  
3 From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised.  
4 The Lord is exalted over all the nations, his glory above the heavens.  
5 Who is like the Lord our God, the One who sits enthroned on high,  
6 who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth?  
7 He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap;  
8 he seats them with princes, with the princes of his people.  
9 He settles the childless woman in her home as a happy mother of children.  
  

Psalms 113-118 are often known as the Egyptian Hallel, mainly because of their connection with Passover celebrations which commemorate Israel’s deliverance from Egypt in the Exodus narrative. The psalms were sung as part of the Passover ceremony by all the Jews thereafter. There is no doubt that these exact words were sung by Jesus and his disciples during the Passover meals. As you come to prayer today, consider that you are entering into the presence of ‘a great cloud of witnesses’ in the faith. Take a moment to become aware of the long history of our faith.  
    
Listen to this Psalm once again – the very words that Jesus himself sang: consider how Israel – the poor, needy and lowly are lifted by God who is over all things. Think of where you might feel poor, needy and lowly and think of the God who sits enthroned on high above heavens and the earth.  
    
The Psalmist declares that the unchanging God never becomes unworthy of our praise. For the child of God with open eyes, time only reveals even more reasons to praise God. For the Psalmist, what amazes him is that God is exalted so high that he stoops low to see not only the earth but also the heavens, and yet at the same time he cares for the every day person. Can you receive this truth in your heart today? In whatever areas you are feeling poor and needy, express your heart to God and know that this almighty God knows you and cares for you.

Music: "You're Worthy of My Praise" - Vineyard Worship (YouTube)

Today is November 10

May the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way.

Take a moment and quiet yourself. Take a deep breath. Welcome God’s presence. And say, “Come Holy Spirit.”

Today’s reading is from the book of Acts, chapter 13.

36 “Now when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his ancestors and his body decayed. 37 But the one whom God raised from the dead did not see decay. 38 “Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. 39 Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the law of Moses.

The resurrection of Jesus sets everyone who believes free from the power of sin and death. This is the great “Therefore” of scripture, the great transition from sin to salvation, from death to deliverance, the great message of the kingdom of God… that decay has been overwhelmed and overcome by God’s plan of salvation. Consider what this ‘therefore’ means to you today…

The gospel of Jesus interrupts our decay, and the decay of the world. It puts us on a new course, a new trajectory. We are interrupted by freedom from sin, and justification through Christ. Listen to this scripture again and consider how this truth has interrupted your life.

Decay is a word that feels resonant to me these days. Even as our society trumpets great progress – we cannot keep ‘decay’ away forever. For that, we need not just progress, or some new technological advancement. We need an interruption into the very nature of things. We need God’s rescue. I need it. You need it. His great Kingdom interruption. As we end our time of prayer, take some time to remind yourself of your great need for God.

Music Credit: “
When You Come" - Samuel Lane/Vineyard Worship (YouTube)

This is a version of the five-step Daily Examen that St. Ignatius practiced.

1. Become aware of God’s presence.
2. Review the day with gratitude.
3. Pay attention to your emotions.
4. Choose one feature of the day and pray from it.
5. Look toward tomorrow.

Today is November 7 

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you.  
 
Take a moment and quiet yourself. Take a deep breath. Welcome God’s presence. And say, “Come Holy Spirit.”   
 
Today’s reading is from the book of Acts, chapter 11.  
 
19 Now those who had been scattered by the persecution that broke out when Stephen was killed traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, spreading the word only among Jews. 20 Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. 21 The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.  
22 News of this reached the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 23 When he arrived and saw what the grace of God had done, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. 24 He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.  
25 Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, 26 and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.  
  
This is a very encouraging passage, except when we consider the catalytic event that led to this spread of the gospel: the murder of Stephen and persecution that caused the early church to run for their lives. The Bible speaks quite a lot about persecution. The New Testament church is filled with persecution narratives. What feelings does that thought stir up in you? 
  
Listen to the scripture again, paying attention to the end results of the initial scattering that the author speaks of… 

Barnabas encouraged the believers in Antioch to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. As you end your time of prayer today, can you hear this encouragement as something spoken directly to you? That you would remain true to the Lord with all your heart? Make this your prayer today… 
 
Music: "Nothing Is Too Hard For You" - Vineyard Worship 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sv61EA2CW5U

Today is November 6 

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.  
 
Take a moment and quiet yourself. Take a deep breath. Welcome God’s presence. And say, “Come Holy Spirit.”   
 
Today’s reading is from the gospel of Mark, chapter 13.  
 
32 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. 34 It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.  
35 “Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. 36 If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37 What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’ 
 
There is so much in this life that we do not know. But we do know this: Jesus tells His followers to stay alert… to stay watchful for Him. Are you feeling particularly, spiritually alert today? Do you feel like you are being attentive to spiritual realities in you, and around you? Or are you feeling sluggish? Or distracted? Talk to the Lord about this.  
  
What emotions does this passage bring up for you? When Jesus says to you: “keep watch!” – what does that bring up? Listen to the passage again and think about how it would really feel to have Jesus speaking these words directly to you, with energy and urgency in His voice.  

This text is a part of a longer discourse, where Jesus is explaining with some urgency what is to come. He’s preparing them for what he calls the last days. And he reminds them: you’re not going to know what that is. But you do know what to do, regardless: remain alert, pray, and steward the work before you with faithfulness. A lot of Christians get caught up in conversations about the end times, or the last days. We don’t know the day or the hour. But we do know our posture as we wait: Remain alert. Remain prayerful. Remain faithful. What does this look like for you? What is Christ speaking to you today? Try and keep that front of mind and heart as your walk through your day.  

Music: "Everything" - Vineyard Worship 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jF3h5wJJ5eA

Today is November 5.
  
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you.   
  
Take a moment and quiet yourself. Take a deep breath. Welcome God’s presence. And say, “Come Holy Spirit.”     
    
Today’s reading is from Psalm 18. 


25 To the faithful you show yourself faithful to the blameless you show yourself blameless,  
26 to the pure you show yourself pure, but to the devious you show yourself shrewd.  
27 You save the humble but bring low those whose eyes are haughty.  
28 You, Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light.  
29 With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall.  
30 As for God, his way is perfect: The Lord’s word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him. 


This reading reminds me of some parts of the Sermon on the Mount: For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. What do you think the psalmist is saying about how God interacts with us, and about how we experience God?   
    
It is not insignificance that this Psalm was written to celebrate David’s victory over Saul. It speaks of David’s trust in the Lord throughout the tough relationship that he had with Saul. Listen again to the Psalm in the light of David’s struggle against a mighty king coming for his life and his utmost trust in God through all the challenges.  

What are some challenges you’re facing today? What circumstances seem just impossible to you in this season? Which relationships are bringing pain? If you are navigating some rough waters – will you pray this Psalm over your heart today? Will you turn your trust in the Lord today? Can you work to surrender the temptation to be devious and haughty?

Music: When We Call Your Name - Vineyard Worship - (YouTube)