“He’s either extremely devout, or he’s sleeping. It could go either way at this point.”

TIPS & TRICKS

Not Sure How to Do Morning Prayer and Meditation? Here are 3 Formulas to Help You

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As businesspeople, most of us have heard about how important mindfulness is and how a high-capacity worker needs to start the day with prayer or meditation. As Christians, we know the importance of these things as well. But as everyday, busy, distracted people… it can be a struggle.

If you aren’t sure how to go about prayer and meditation to start your day, try these three time-tested ideas:

A.C.T.S. Prayer

The A.C.T.S. method is simple, easy to remember, and a great option for someone who is trying to get regular about prayer each day. It is intended as a guide, but you shouldn’t feel restricted by it if you feel the need to go deeper into one area of prayer on any given day, or to pray about something else entirely.

Here’s how it works – each letter stands for a type of prayer, and you just work your way through them, starting with Adoration (in which you praise God), then Confession (where you confess your sins, tell God about your struggles, and repent), Thanksgiving (where you practice gratitude and thank God for specific things, relationships, circumstances, etc.), and finally Supplication (which is just an old way of saying ‘ask for things you want or need’).

This formula works well when you only have a short time to pray, but it can also be used as an agenda when you are praying for longer periods of time. Finish up with a scripture reading if you like, and head into the day. (Pro Tip – A.C.T.S. prayer is also great for the morning commute)

Lectio Divina

This ancient, monastic practice may require a little more time than A.C.T.S., but it can be a deep, rich, healing experience. This meditation is split into four sections – reading, meditation, praying, and contemplation. It works like this:

Choose a passage of scripture that you will focus on for all four parts of Lectio Divina. For part one (reading), you naturally read it, not worrying too much about analyzing. Just take in the information and familiarize yourself with what is being said.

Then, in the meditation, you read the scripture again, and this time you apply your reason. You might ask what some of the deeper meaning is, how this connects to your life, or what the application is.

Then, in the prayer portion, you read the text again, but as a prayer. Pray the passage of scripture, perhaps thanking God when it lists His holy attributes, perhaps asking for help or repenting when it lists commands, etc. Make the passage your prayer to God.

Finally, in the contemplation, read the text once more, specifically with a mind to seeing Christ in the scripture. How does Jesus fulfill, speak to, or answer this passage? Quiet yourself to hear if God’s Spirit wants to lead you into any understanding or knowledge, and rest in the stillness.

Prayer Walk

Some people don’t like formulaic prayer, but they nevertheless struggle to stay focused and awake when there is no structure to their prayer and meditation time, and they get discouraged. It can feel like prayer time is not much different from hitting the snooze button.

If this is you, consider the prayer walk.

When you wake up, put on your running shoes, grab a coat, and head out into the neighborhood for a time of prayer and meditation that will get your body and lips moving.

That’s right – the idea is to pray out loud so that you can stay on topic and remain engaged. Physically walking helps keep you awake and aware, and as an added bonus, you can even get a little bit of exercise out of it.

Try It Out!

If you want to start your workdays centered, focused on what matters most, and in a state of spiritual and emotional well-being, try out one of these three methods – and let us know how it goes! You’ll never know until you try, so perhaps one of these formulas is what you’ve been needing to gain a consistent habit of morning prayer and meditation.

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