Isaiah 42:9
Stop.
Our devotions this week provide an opportunity to reflect on God’s word and action in our lives. You’ll need a timer, a quiet spot, and about ten minutes for devotions each day this week. Have everything ready, take a deep breath, and hear a passage from tomorrow’s worship text.
Listen.
See, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth, I tell you of them. – Isaiah 42:9
Reflect.
In the faith practice known as Examen, we are invited to reflect on God’s word and our lives to better listen to God’s action in our lives and discern where God may be leading us. We’ve been using a version of this practice all week to engage with the upcoming Biblical reading in a different way. Especially in this Advent season, a time to watch, wait, listen, and breathe can be so meaningful. Set your timer for two minutes to reflect and pray about each of the following questions:
God assures us of renewal in this passage from Isaiah. How have you known this gift today? Take time to thank God for the new things that came from your relationships, conversations, work, and rest.
Change can provoke anxiety in us. God assures us that God remains in charge, even of new things that make us feel uncertain. Review your day, looking and listening especially for things that felt new, strange, or unfamiliar. Ask God to be revealed in these new things.
Think back not only through your day, but through the whole week. Where did you feel joy? Where did you feel challenge? Where did you feel worry? Take time to reflect on these moments. How might God be declaring a new thing in these events?
God has always been about renewal, constantly recommitting to us and to the world. How will you respond to God’s gift of renewal? What might God be telling you about the new things God wishes to work in your life? How will you be a part of it?
We trust that God not only acts in our life but seeks to be known by us. God does not only declare new things, according to Isaiah, but tells us of them. How will you bring a listening presence into your next week, so that you might understand and participate in God’s work in the world?
Pray.
God of light, God of joy, God of renewal, I praise the gift of new life that you always bring. I commit myself to you, watching and listening for your ongoing work in my life. Thank you, God, that I am a part of all you are up to in the world. Amen.
Carry On.
How might you use Examen moving forward? There are many resources online; does it feel like a practice you could use? Is there even one question that you might be able to ask yourself through any given day to keep you centered in God’s presence?