Welcome to this time of prayer.
This is a prayer of simple opening to God's presence.
We all think about and relate to God in our different and unique ways.
If the language I use for God is not yours,
Then please substitute your own ways of thinking and imagining.
I shall lead you into and through this prayer.
You can pause this recording if you would like to linger at any point.
If you find yourself distracted,
This is not a problem.
Please don't criticise yourself for this.
This is what minds do.
Just gently come back to the prayer.
If you find yourself drawn in a different direction,
Then let go of what I am saying and follow where the spirit leads you.
Some people find it helpful to have a journal or a pad of paper to hand to jot things down as they go.
Others prefer to make some notes at the end.
So,
Take some time to become comfortable and to find a posture in which you can be both alert and relaxed.
If you are sitting in a chair,
Put both feet on the ground.
Be comfortable and upright.
And have your hands loosely in your lap or on your legs.
If you are using a different posture,
Then make sure you are comfortable yet alert.
Feel your connection to the ground through the soles of your feet or whatever part of your body is touching the floor.
If you are sitting,
Feel your bottom on the seat,
Your back against the chair.
This is the earth made by God and held in being by God.
Relax and let yourself be held.
Let go of your thoughts and concerns for now.
You might find it helpful to imagine gathering up whatever is going on in your head and placing it gently in a bag beside you.
You are not discarding these thoughts,
Only putting them somewhere safe for the time being.
They will still be there when we have finished.
Take a few deeper breaths,
Breathing up into your chest and down into your belly.
As you breathe out,
Let yourself relax a little more.
Scan through your body,
Relaxing the parts as you go.
Your feet,
Ankles,
Calves,
Knees,
Thighs,
Bottom,
The base of your back,
Your sacrum,
The small of your back,
Your upper back,
The back of your neck and angle the head slightly downward to release any tension.
The back of your head,
The top of your head,
Your forehead,
Your eyebrows,
Your face,
Your cheeks,
Lips,
Chin,
The throat,
The upper chest,
The heart area.
Allow this to soften and open your solar plexus and settle into your belly.
This body is made by God and held in being by God.
As the psalmist says,
For it was you who formed my inward parts.
You knit me together in my mother's womb.
I will praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works.
Take another longer breath and let it out slowly.
Relax a little more.
Then let your breathing return to normal.
Notice the breath in your nostrils or your mouth.
Notice your chest and belly rising and falling.
You might like to think of this as God breathing life into you,
Breath by breath.
As scripture says,
The spirit of God has made me and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.
How are you today?
How is your body?
Maybe there are places of discomfort or pain.
Maybe places of tension.
There is no need to try to fix this.
Notice these places and be kind to them.
How are you feeling today?
Happy or sad?
Angry or frightened or at peace?
Ashamed?
Excited?
Or a mix of feelings?
Don't try to change these feelings.
Notice them and be kind to yourself.
What are you thinking today?
What worries and concerns,
Fears and anxieties?
What anticipation and excitement?
What are you ruminating upon?
What plans are you making?
These are your thoughts.
Don't try to marshal them or stop them.
Let them be.
Again,
Maybe put them down beside you for this time.
This is how you are today.
Body,
Feelings,
Mind.
This is the person you are who is coming to God today.
This is the person God wishes to be with,
With all the mixture and mess and glory that you are.
God delights in you.
What do you want from this time of prayer?
Spend a few moments with this question.
What do you want?
What do you desire?
Maybe you don't know and that's fine.
Maybe you simply want a bit of peace.
Become aware of God present with you.
How are you aware of God present?
Is it something you feel around you?
Do you feel it inside you?
Give yourself time to become aware of God's presence.
What is God's presence like?
Where in the body do you feel God's presence?
You might like to place a hand on this place as a way of acknowledging God's presence and staying present to it yourself.
This is a place you can always come back to.
Gently open your heart to God.
Don't force it but see if your heart will soften a little and open a little more to God.
And now there is nothing you need to do,
No one you need to be.
Nothing is required of you.
You are exactly what God wants right now just as you are.
Simply be in God's presence.
Allow God to be in your presence.
There will now be three minutes of silence in which to be in God's presence.
You will most likely find your mind wanders.
This is not a problem,
This is what minds do.
And when you notice this,
Gently bring yourself back into God's presence.
And remember,
When your mind wanders,
This is not a problem.
Notice what you are thinking about.
Is this something you wish to share with God?
If you would like to speak to God about any of this or show God whatever you would like.
Leave a space for God to respond to you.
Most of us do not hear words out loud from God,
But we sense what God is saying to us.
Or maybe an image or a memory comes to mind.
Leave a little space and see what comes.
Respond to God in whatever way you wish.
This time of prayer is coming to an end soon.
What would you like to say or do as we end?
How does God wish to end this time with you?
Although this time of prayer is ending,
You do not have to let go of this connection with God,
Or leave God's presence.
You can carry it with you wherever you go.
It is available to you anywhere.
What would you like to carry with you from this time of prayer?
May God bless you and keep you.
May God's face shine upon you.
May God be gracious to you.
May God look kindly upon you and give you peace.
Amen.
