Prayer Path

How to walk the Path

Welcome to the prayer path. We are so glad youve taken some time to come here, and get away. This booklet is here to provide a guided time of contemplation. Feel free to use it, or to simply walk the path on your own, pausing at the stations to reflect and listen. The first reflection begins in front of the gate at the entrance to the path. As you use this material, allow time in after each question or idea to pause and consider. Listen for what the Holy Spirit may be saying to you. There is no hurry here. Take your time. Read and think... slowly. If you encounter others on the path, may we encourage you to simply smile and acknowledge them quietly, then carry on with your journey. This isnt a place of absolute silence, but it is a place of peace, so please respect others on the path as you walk it yourself. We hope you encounter Jesus in a deep and meaningful way during your time here.

Introduction (at Gate)

Welcome to the inward journey. Here, you will travel in pursuit not of the inner self but past the self into Christ. It is a journey to the True Centre. You are embarking on a pursuit that will lead you nearer to the presence of God. In truth, you are not the pursuer, but the pursued. You are invited here to journey into the awareness of the love of God, which is in relentless pursuit of you. Let the natural beauty of this environment speak to your spirit. Right now, stop and acknowledge every sense at your disposal: Sight, Sound, Smell, Touch... together, these allow a Taste of the presence of God. Be aware of the meaning behind everything you encounter and notice, whether the striking pattern of a leaf, a stone or even a misplaced piece of trash. Embrace the many ways in which the Holy Spirit might be pursuing you. With each step you take, you are preparing your heart to be found, and found again, by the God who pursues. As the psalm reads: You have searched me, LORD, and You know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; You perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; You are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue You, LORD, know it completely. You hem me in behind and before, and You lay Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? If I go up to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in the depths, You are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there Your hand will guide me, Your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me, even the darkness will not be dark you You; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to You. --Psalm 139: 1-12 NIV

Selah - Pause, and think of that. When you are ready, wander down the path to the first station.

Station I: Sound and Noise Sound and noise. Listening for the sound of Gods voice is difficult when all we can hear is the white noise of the world around us. Stop, and listen. What do you hear? Noise is the clamorous thing that leaves no room for anything else. It communicates nothing but drowns out the Voice that speaks everything: truth, love, life, wonder. Take stock of every kind of noise coming at you right now. Do you hear a train? The noise of the traffic? Children playing, shouting? Identify the distractions, and set them aside. Listen for the whisper of the Creator. As Elijah discovered: ...a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. --1Kings 19:10-12 Have you been looking for God in the noise? Seeking for Him in the busyness? Has He felt distant or absent? Turn down the inner volume, and listen for him in the simplicity of uncluttered space. What is the white noise in your soul? What clamours for your attention? What could be more important than perceiving the voice of God... right... now...? Shhhhh. Selah - Pause, and think of that. When you are ready, wander down the path to the next station.

Station II: Travelling Light Burdens, burdens, burdens. We all carry them. Burdens of responsibility, burdens of failure and the fear of failure, burdens of provision, burdens of self preservation, and the burdens we take on from those we love. On the journey into Christ, you cant take anything with you. You will need to leave everything behind. There is a reason why most images of Jesus show Him with hands held open. He took nothing with Him. Think for a moment: Can you identify the weight in your chest? Are your shoulders slumped under external pressures? If so, identify them. Name them. Now.... wait and ask, are there more burdens beneath the surface? What are you holding onto? Whats holding on to you? Prepare to leave these burdens here when you move from this place. Are some easier to let go of than others? Are there others that you dont want to relinquish? Why? Be reminded NOW that Jesus Christ is sufficient. The risen Christ reminds us: My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. --2Corinthians 12:9 ...Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. --Matthew 11:28-30 Let go before you go. Selah - Pause, and think of that. When you are ready, wander down the path to the next station.

Station III: This is No Hiding Place The mark of fallen humanity is that we hid from God. We put a shield between our vulnerability and Him. So much of our energy is daily diverted into keeping up appearances. We put on our faces and shape the image others see when they look at us. Have you built up walls of vanity to conceal the humble, shameful creature buried deep within? Or have you dressed up in beggars clothes to protect the treasure inside from being stolen? Consider: What costumes and masks do you wear to preserve yourself ? There can be no hiding place from God. There is a hiding place with Him. In Him. Within Him. Name your secrets, your concealments, and present them to Him as an offering. As you remove each mask and expose every dark place, allow yourself to become transparent before God. This is a time for full disclosure to the God who already knows. For he looks to the ends of the earth, and sees everything under the heavens. --Job 28:34 In the garden, God allowed us to hide from Him. Did He know where Adam and Eve were hiding? Of course. But He called for them and then waited for them to present themselves. Do you hear Him calling you to step out from your hiding places? Will you?

Selah - Pause, and think of that. When you are ready, wander down the path to the next station.

Station IV: Toward Grace and Mercy You are drawing quite near, now, to the deepest part of the journey. Before moving forward, take stock. Are you ready to encounter Him? Do you feel prepared? Worthy? Quieted, weightless and fully transparent? Certainly you dont! All effort and discipline comes to nothing apart from grace and mercy. We engage in the practices of quieting our souls, releasing our burdens and making ourselves transparent, not to achieve worthiness but to prepare to encounter the One who is worthy. Allow these words to wash over you: Grace Mercy Are you unworthy to proceed? Yes. Take a moment and reflect on what disqualifies you. Name those things, and turn from them, toward Christ. Remember, you are not the pursuer but the pursued. Grace Mercy Is there any deficiency or brokenness or inadequacy that is not covered by those two words, if we turn toward Christ? Paul writes: Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. --2Corinthians 3:5 Grace Mercy Clean Selah - Pause, and think of that. When you are ready, wander down the path to the next station.

Station V: Sacred Space You have now entered the deepest part of the journey. This is primarily a place of resting, waiting and encountering. This is sacred space. It is sacred not because of the ground on which you stand, but because of the purpose that rests in your heart. With hearing attuned, burdens lifted, masks discarded and heart cleansed, youve sent up flares to the heavens and are now ready and longing to be found by the Risen Christ, the Eternal Centre. The God who pursues longs to make His dwelling place within you. Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Where is the house you will build for me? Where will my resting place be? --Isaiah 66:1 Consider this ancient poem. Let this be your prayer. Then simply wait. God to enfold me, God to surround me, God in my speaking, God in my thinking. God in my sleeping, God in my waking, God in my watching, God in my hoping. God in my life, God on my lips, God in my soul, God in my heart. God in my sufficing, God in my slumber, God in mine ever-living soul, God in mine eternity.* *Ancient celtic oral traditions - carmina gadelica)

Selah - Pause, and think of that. When you are ready, wander down the path to the next station.

Station VI: Re-Direction

Youve now turned the corner, and begun the outward journey. An encounter with Christ is never, ever left behind. It is not confined to one place, rather it is interior and lingers with you. Reflect for a moment on what youve heard and encountered. If you have a journal with you, take a moment to record whats in your heart. Now, each step brings you closer to re-engaging your day-to-day world. Christ alone can orient you as you navigate unexpected obstacles and encounter enticing paths that threaten to pull you off-course. With any journey into unfamiliar territory, the most critical piece of gear is a good compass. As you move from the centre of the path, allow Christ to become your reference point, your True North. True North directs us on our way and keeps our paths straight. What pathways in your day-to- day life need to be re-oriented around Christ as the point of reference? Allow Him to speak into your life journey and redirect your ways. The future is nothing if not unfamiliar territory. How will Christ be your True North as you head forward on your outward journey? Hear the words of Jesus: The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. --John 10:2-4

Selah - Pause, and think of that. When you are ready, wander down the path to the next station.

Station VII: Pursuits The outward journey is about our response to Him through transformation. Every encounter with Christ brings transformation, and that transformation affects everything. What does transformation look like? What will happen once you move from this time and place of contemplation and re-engage normal life? What will you pursue first? Whats the first thing youll think about? Whats the first thing youll do? Will you reset to your defaults, or will you allow whatever you pursue to undergo change and transformation? The true pursuits of our hearts are mirrored in those things we invest our time and energy on. What would it mean for your pursuits (dreams, visions, ambitions and desires) to be transformed by Christ, to be held in orbit around Him? What would decision-making look like? Consider: Seek first His kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be gi ven to you as w ell. --Matthew 6:33

Is the Holy Spirit speaking through these words? Into these words? Seek first... what? Selah - Pause, and think of that. When you are ready, wander down the path to the next station.

Station VIII: Radiation Vocation is whatever you do that radiates who you are. As Christ lingers in the interior places of your life, allow the actions and activities of your life to radiate... Him. This is the transformation of your inner self acting to transform the world outside you. Love God, and then the radiation of that love will become the substance of love toward others. (See Luke 10:27; cf. Mark 12:31-32; Matthew 22:36-40; John 13:34-35.) We tend to define ourselves by what we do. This leads to discontent and striving and ultimately exhaustion. However, the call into vocation (literally defined as call) re-orders that. Who we are defines what we do. Living out your vocation is life-giving, transformative, and purposeful. Have you tried to define yourself by your actions? By your job? By your bank account statements? That is the world acting on you... the world radiating inward. The Christ-centered life calls you to act on the world, from the inside out. When Jesus acted on the world, He modelled something for us. He so radiated God that everything He did became a reflection of that relationship. Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. --John 5:19 How does the Risen Christ intend to radiate through you? Ask Him. Wait and listen. Selah - Pause, and think of that. When you are ready, wander down the path to the next station.

Station IX: Rhythm You have come to the final station on this journey. What have you encountered? What have you heard from the Voice that speaks life? How have you responded? Store up and treasure these things in your heart as you move from here, back into the regular rhythms of life! Take a moment and do nothing but breathe purposefully. Measure each breath. Breathe in. Breathe out. Be aware of your heart beating. Steadily, and without conscious thought, these rhythmic patterns sustain your life. Youve just experienced a rhythm of engagement with God that can be encountered daily, hourly, moment by moment. These are the sustaining rhythmic patterns of grace and encounter with Christ.

Yield

Encounter

Respond

As you move from this place, allow the moments of yielding, encounter, and response to bleed over in fullness of your lived life: In your speaking, in your seeing, in your loving, in your doing. Go with the words of this blessing echoing in your heart: May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you. May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.*

*Blessing from the Northumbria Community daily hours morning prayer

In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Amen. Selah - To exit the path, leave to your right. To re-walk the path, exit the
station to the left.