Prayer and Self-Awareness…
02.23.25
(Chapter 36 of What if Jesus Was Serious About Prayer- Skye Jethani)
We often explore the role prayer has in making us aware of God’s presence with us, but prayer is also a critical way we become more aware of ourselves. Both are necessary for real communion with God. In prayer we bring our true self into the presence of the true God. One form of prayer that helps us do this is called the Prayer of Examen. It’s an odd word that most will associate with examination, which brings to mind unpleasant memories from school or the doctor’s office.
Examen comes from the Latin word for the indicator on a balance scale. It means to reveal the truth. The Prayer of Examen, when properly understood, is intended to reveal the truth within us. It is not a test, a least not in the pass/fail sense. Instead, it is the uncovering of hidden or forgotten things so that we may engage God truthfully.
Like all Christian prayer, the Examen is not an activity we undertake alone. It is not mere self-examination or self-awareness, which is fashionable in these times of spiritual narcissism. The Prayer of Examen means welcoming God into every part of our lives so that God may do revealing work in us and with us, and it is something Scripture speaks about repeatedly.
David told his son to serve the Lord faithfully because “the Lord searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought.” (1 Chron. 28:9) And David famously prayed “O Lord, you have searched me and known me!” (Psalm 139:1) The king went on in the same prayer to invite God to “try me.” (v.23) He asks the Lord to examine his heart, his thoughts, and to expose any evil so that he might be led in the right direction. David models for us the Prayer of Examen and shows how it is done in cooperation with the Lord, who alone can see and reveal all things.
I encourage you to reflect on David’s words in Psalm 139. Invite God’s Spirit to search you and reveal things, both good and bad, that you may have hidden or ignored.