March 2025
A Contemplative Exercise for March 2025
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 am your God; I will strengthen you’ Isaiah 41:10. (NRSV)
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:
‘… I am your God; I will strengthen you’.
There is a span of about 150 years between Chapters 39 and 40 of Isaiah, the book from which March’s Saying comes. These chapters have been referred to as the Book of Consolation or Comfort. Indeed Chapter 40 opens with the rousing words ‘Comfort, Comfort, my people’. Comfort also means to ‘give strength’ and comes from the Latin ‘comfortare’.
The historical background for Isaiah 40 – 66 is the Babylonian Exile and post exilic period. During this time, the Babylonian Empire was the dominant power, having conquered Judah and taken many of its people captive and into exile around 586 BC. The Jewish exiles in Babylon faced immense challenges including the temptation to assimilate into Babylonian culture because of their despair at being far from their homeland and the temple in Jerusalem. It is in this context that Isaiah delivers this powerful message from God to the exiles who felt abandoned and forgotten:
do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be afraid, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you; I will help you;
I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.
God is exercising His divine sovereignty, giving assurance and comfort and above all, redemption and deliverance. He restores His people in order that they might accomplish their appointed mission to be a light to the Gentiles and a blessing to all nations.
In the Old Testament God identifies Himself countless times; ‘I am God’, ‘I am God the Holy One in your midst’, ‘Be still and know that I am God’, ‘I am the Lord your God’ and more, but we need to go back as far as Exodus to hear God’s true name. The Jewish people at that time felt they could not utter it, as they considered God to be too holy. They referred to him as Yahweh which means I AM, echoing the I AM Sayings of Jesus in St. John‘s gospel. God first reveals His name as I AM to Moses at the Burning Bush in Exodus 3. Moses had turned aside from the path where he was tending his flock of sheep, because he had seen the sight of a bush ablaze but the bush was not consumed. Hearing a voice from the bush as he draws near, he hears the words, ‘Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground’. God has an important message for Moses and asks him to go to Pharaoh to free the Israelites who at that time, were captive in Egypt. Moses asks God ‘Who shall I say is sending this message?’. God tells Moses ‘Tell them that I AM has sent you’. So, it is Moses to whom God first gives His true name, and from then on Moses’ life is completely altered and he becomes an integral part of God’s divine plan. Because Moses was alert and listening with his inner eye, he saw God’s sign which was the burning bush and turned aside from what he was doing and turned to God.
God says in the first verse of Isaiah 41 ‘Listen to me in silence … let the peoples renew their strength’. It is imperative that God’s people are silent in order to listen to Him, as He tries to speak to them amidst the turmoil of their thoughts, and the fear and confusion they are facing. He is giving them encouragement and reassurance so they will be able to face their ordeal with strength and hope instead of fear and despair.
So let us now, in the silence, listen deeply to God as we take this Saying into our minds …
‘… I am your God; I will strengthen 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 am your God; I will strengthen you’.
The sentence ‘Do not be afraid’ is uttered 365 times in the Bible, illustrating how susceptible humanity is to fear and how it can destroy our happiness and peace and ultimately cripple our lives. It also illustrates God’s desire to comfort us every single day of every single year of those lives. In March’s Saying God addresses the fear of His people and gives them His strength to conquer their fear and the confusion of their thoughts.
Some of us may be more susceptible to fear than others, but when we practise contemplative prayer and are still and listen so we can receive His Words within us, we find that our fear loosens its grip as do other negative emotions and thoughts. It is God who releases us from our fears and gives us the strength we need to get on with our daily lives in a calmer frame of mind and with a peaceful heart. In 1 John 4:18 we find the famous phrase ‘perfect love casts out fear’. It is the divine indwelling of God and His Word that gives us strength and peace in the times of trouble and distress that we all face at times.
The prayer of stillness can help us to start to live in the present, not worrying about the future or dwelling on the past. Moses was living in the present when he turned aside to get closer to the burning bush and consequently was commissioned by God. When we are present and in the moment, an unexpected blessing or opportunity often comes our way. As God revealed himself to Moses, God reveals Himself to us often in unexpected ways, through a dream, an encounter with another person, or through nature, a beautiful sunset or through music for example; all such happenings are gifts that can give us a profound sense of peace.
For people today, life seems more complex than ever. We are aware of suffering as never before, not just in the countries where there is war and conflict, but on a planetary scale. There are natural disasters and the destruction of homes, habitats and countless lives lost. Our own personal difficulties also seem increasingly complex. When we read the news in the papers or hear it on television, we may feel helpless but this can be an opportunity for us in our contemplative intercession to help those in fear or grief either practically or through our prayer of stillness. We can be channels of God’s love, peace and strength, directing it out to a world in need.
As God gave His strength and hope to the Israelites in their captivity, He gives it daily to us. Let us take hold of it so that we can learn to walk in the footsteps of Jesus this Lent, and let His divine light give light to our paths and on any unknown or rocky terrain that lies ahead of us. We can also in our intercessions, reflect that light out to a world in distress.
So let us now receive these Words into our hearts, the very centre of our being.
‘… I am your God; I will strengthen you’.
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.
‘… I am your God; I will strengthen you’.
Say the name of a person or a group of people, and after a short pause, repeat the saying. For example:
‘Alison and your family, hear these words and be comforted: “… I am your God; I will strengthen 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.