September 2021


A Contemplative Exercise for September 2021

The following is a possible framework for the Witnessing of the Word. It can be personalised or altered: its purpose is to serve as an example of how this Saying might be used primarily in the context of a Prayer Group, but it may be used by individuals too. It is not intended to be definitive.  In the context of a group: the periods of silence should be appropriate for your group - probably not less than 5 minutes, or more than 15 minutes.

Saying for the month: ‘I will guide you and watch over you’ (Psalm 32:8, ICB)

In your time of contemplation, you may like to shorten this to ‘I will guide you’ or ‘I will watch over you’, as you prefer.

To begin the exercise, first spend a short while in relaxation and preparing to be still; you may want to relax your way through your muscles or you may find it helpful to become aware of the sounds around you and then put them aside as you offer this time of prayer to God.

Say this introductory invitation to prayer, then keep a further minute or two of silence:  ‘Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest’ (Matthew 11.28)

Introduction to the first silence - a preparation for listening with the mind:

When we read through the Psalms we see the very real feelings of the Psalmists; they are not afraid of being angry with God or admitting that they are feeling desolate and forsaken because they are in a dark place and He seems so far from them. Their spirit is dry and they thirst for the living water that God so freely gives because He is the fountain of living water.  But inevitably we see that at the end of most psalms their feelings have been transformed and they speak or sing words of thanksgiving, joy and glorify God. We see complete honesty from the Psalmists.    In Psalm 32 the Psalmist who has experienced hard times of doubting and has felt the absence of God, is encouraging people to pray with confidence and trust and in verse 8 God speaks these words, “I will make you wise. I will show you where to go. I will guide you and watch over you”.  Other translations are slightly different, for example “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with my eye”. 

I rather like the idea of God guiding us with His eye upon us, rather similar to a mother watching over her children with her eye always upon them.  God’s eye is on us guiding us in the way we should go to fulfil His plan for us.   But like the Israelites did, we often go our own way, perhaps taking wrong turnings. We can even go in a different direction like Jonah did when God had specifically told him to go to preach in Ninevah, but as we know, Jonah turned and went in the opposite direction, booking a passage from Joppa to Tarshish. 

In our first silence of the mind, we listen deeply to God encouraging us as He encouraged the Psalmist and His people so long ago, that even if we are going through the valley of death and the waters of sadness and desolation, He is always guiding us and never stops watching over us. 

We take this Saying into our minds, allowing the saying to speak to us: ‘I will guide you and watch over you’ 

A time is now kept for silence of the mind – perhaps between 5 and 15 minutes.  The silence concludes with a short thanksgiving, and/or feel free to repeat the Saying.

The first silence ends with the words: Father, we thank you for the gift of your Word.

Introduction to the second silence - a preparation for listening with the heart:

I’ve always liked the book Pilgrim’s Progress because it is such a marvellous allegory of the spiritual journey.  Christian is longing to get to the celestial city but often loses his way and takes a wrong turning because he is tempted and distracted and it takes him a long time to get back on the right path.  We too sometimes miss opportunities or take a turning that we regret, especially when we are young, but we are only human and as our trust in God grows so does our faith, and in our times of contemplation we discover the depth of God’s love for us and indeed for all humanity and all His creation.   Contemplative prayer is not a private thing or a place we can go to and seek personal gratification and comfort, or to get on a spiritual high but from a deep place within us, leads us into love and action; to serve our neighbour with the gifts we have been given and to contribute to the well-being of others.

The pandemic has been a very challenging time for all of us and there has been so much hardship and suffering as well as the loss of life on a massive scale.  It has also been a time of awakening to new possibilities.  Many new methods of technology have made it possible for people and church groups to come together virtually, and to join the live streaming of church services. There have been on-line courses of every description to enable people to feed their minds and communicate with others.  We have seen so much kindness from strangers as well as neighbours within our communities in ways that have touched us deeply.   With the easing of so many restrictions there is still a long way to go, and we are still in a place of uncertainty about the future. 

Let us now in our second silence of the heart, listen to God saying to us ‘I will guide you and watch over you’.  We let these divine words of love and reassurance sink down into the very depths of our being.

Now we take this word into our hearts, as we allow Jesus’ words to speak in us, to let it touch us and let it work more deeply upon our lives.

A time is now kept for silence of the heart – perhaps between 5 and 15 minutes.

The second silence ends with the words: Father, we thank you that your Word is alive and within us.

Introduction to the time of intercession – taking God’s word outwards into the world:

For our times of intercession, Climate Change has been very much in the news especially in recent weeks as we hear of unprecedented events of flooding, wild fires and intense heat all over the globe.  On this subject, Martin Tunnicliffe, former Chaplain of the Fellowship, has suggested that we might include in our intercessions during the next three months, the forthcoming 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 26) to be held in Glasgow, Scotland, in November this year.  We might pray for all those involved in preparing for this crucial conference and all the delegates and world leaders who will be attending as well as the media and environmental groups leading up to the conference.

Do read Martin’s “Occasional” Letter which has now been put up on this website in the ‘Further Reading’ section of the Resources area.  There is much wisdom and food for thought about our human exploitation of our planet and he quotes Exodus 3:5 “The place on which you are standing is holy ground”.  Also consider Psalm 24.1 “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it”.

For the remainder of this section, say the name of a person or a group of people who come into your mind as you pray, and after a short pause, repeat the saying. For example:

‘Alison and her family …  ‘I will guide you and watch over you’

As we allow the word to speak through us we might direct Jesus’ word towards those people and situations where there is suffering, hurt and an absence of joy and where abiding in Christ would bring comfort.

Conclude this time of intercession with words of thanksgiving: Father, we thank you that your Word has gone out through us to those for whom we pray.

The Conclusion

Feel free to use the Fellowship Prayer (below) or another closing prayer to conclude your time of contemplative prayer:

Loving Heavenly Father, we thank you for all your unsearchable riches which pour forth from you as light from the sun, in boundless profusion and generosity, whether received, ignored or rejected. And now we offer to you, in so far as we are able, as an emptiness to be filled with your divine fullness, ourselves, our souls and bodies; all that we are, all that we have and all that we do. Amen

You may wish to say the Grace together before departing.