April Prayer Practice
Blessings to each of you in this Easter season! Christ is risen! Thank you for your outpouring of stories this past month. They have been a deep encouragement to our team. Friends, God is at work among us and doing powerful things! We would love to continue to hear from you about your experiences in the local church. How have you seen God moving? Where have you felt close to Jesus this season? Please continue to email us your stories.
This month’s prayer practice is contemplative prayer, sometimes called centering prayer. It is a meditative practice that can help us connect with God through a word or phrase. This time of prayer can take time to settle into, especially if you are feeling hurried. So feel free to start small, taking three to five minutes for the practice, and increase time as you are comfortable. Many people begin their day with centering prayer, spending 20-30 minutes centering themselves before the Lord.
HOW TO PRACTICE CENTERING PRAYER
- Choose a word. This word, called a sacred word, represents your intention to consent to God’s presence and action within you. Invite the Holy Spirit to help you choose a word—usually, one or two syllables work well, such as Abba, Jesus, Father, love, listen, peace, mercy, let go, faith, or trust. Or instead of using a word, you may prefer to focus on your breath or gaze inwardly toward God’s presence. Whatever you select, try to stick with it through the time you spend in prayer.
- Introduce the word. Sit comfortably with your eyes closed. Briefly take the time to settle yourself. Then silently, inwardly, introduce the sacred word.
- Settle deeply into prayer. Continue to sit quietly, simply resting in God’s presence. As you sit, you may notice sensations in your body, feelings, images, reflections, or other thoughts. As you become aware of these things, gently return to the sacred word.
- Gently conclude the time of prayer. Once the prayer is over, gently open your eyes. You may want to end your time in prayer by reciting the Lord’s Prayer aloud.
PRAYER REQUESTS
This month we ask you to join us in praying for our regional conferences around the United States and Canada as they gather to celebrate what God has been doing in their area, make decisions, and plan for the future.
Pray for pastors and delegates as they come together to make decisions. Pray for conference staff as they tend to the many details of these events. Pray for strong connections of fellowship.
- Alaska Conference
- Canada Conference
- Central Conference
- East Coast Conference
- Great Lakes Conference
- Midsouth Conference
- Midwest Conference
- Northwest Conference
- Pacific Northwest Conference
- Pacific Southwest Conference
- Southeast Conference
We thank God for you and pray that you are experiencing the risen Lord in a powerful way this spring.
