How Do I Jump Back In With God?
Many of my words never get shared in public because I almost always share them in response to questions asked in private.
One of the most private conversations I tend to have on a regular basis, especially with people who have an interest or desire to connect with God, is how to jump back into a growing relationship with God?
Have you ever thought about how you would respond to someone asking how to start (or start again) with God?
Here has been my simplest responses so far: Whenever you have a moment of downtime, simply enter into what I call the Prayer of Process.
This can happen within the few minutes you have before someone comes over to hang out.
This can happen while standing in line at the grocery store.
This can even happen while sitting in traffic on your way to work.
And as a matter of fact, I’m glad I brought up your commute in the car because it’s actually how I set the framework for the Prayer of Process.
Breaking Down The Prayer of Process
When it comes to processing in prayer (which is simply lifting our heart and mind to God) I encourage people to think about themselves sitting in a car.
In front of you is your dashboard.
Beside you is a passenger seat.
With you are the back seats (this is a four-door-car illustration at least. Shoutout to those rolling up in Tahoes)
And further behind you is a trunk.
Now, whenever you have a few minutes, my encouragement is to lift your mind and heart to God through these four mental placeholders.
Here is how to process through each:
First, process what’s on your dashboard. Growing up I remember my grandfather never hearing of a magical place called a glove compartment. Every time I hopped in his work pickup his dashboard would be cluttered with gloves, papers and fast food bags. Most of the time my vision (and probably his) was obstructed by all the clutter. This is the task of this first mental placeholder to lift up in prayer.
What’s distracting you in life? Consuming your headspace? Preventing you from seeing others or God more clearly? Since you’ve probably been doing overtime in your head about this very situation, news or decision, I’d recommend telling God why it keeps taking up so much space.
Second, process who is in your passenger seat. Who is on your mind a lot these days? Who is in need? Who are you walking through desolation, conflict, or good news with right now. When I get to this part of the prayer, I tend to bring up to God what I think this person needs (or needs more of) in this season of life.
Third, process the backseat. What’s happening in the current day background of your life? What’s always in the mirror of life. As I continue to read, I’ve come to wonder how many people thought through the time in history they find themselves in. This is a chance for us to have eyes on not what’s just happening in our world, but what’s happening in the broader sense of the world. In this third mental placeholder, I lift up to God the all encompassing issues of this current day. There are plenty to pick from. Injustice. Natural disasters. Political conflict. Trafficking. A helpful frame for this portion of conversation may be simply to ask God for the desire to be a part of the healing and kingdom direction of these troubling realities we live in.
Fourth, and finally, process the trunk. This is the lifting of your head and heart to the very thing you find sweeping under the rug of your life. What are you keeping in the dark right now? What’s the source of shame in your life? Everyone has a trunk. The lightest loads are the ones where we walk in the acknowledgement of these dark sides of our personalities or decisions.
A nuanced word for this final one. The trunk is not meant for us to parade out all of our emotions, induce guilt, or relive experiences. This guiding is simply a way to own up to your contribution to the hurt of ourselves or the world. It’s the practice of confessing. Claiming ownership. And simply hoping for a different way, reality, or decision in the future.
New Words Are Old Words
Want to start up again with God this year? This is what I call the Prayer of Process. It’s not perfect. It doesn’t cover everything. It’s not even really that innovative. In my mind, it’s an espresso shot for the soul. A way to organize the linger of an uninterrupted moment. There are a lot of different thoughts about talking to God. Many will even say there are a lot of gods in which to speak to out there.
If you’ve fallen off the train of intentionally talking to God other than yelling his name when you stub your toe or get a negative text message, I want to remind you of the news of the one who spoke to God and spoke on behalf of the God who people have been trying to know for a long time.
God in Jesus Christ is available and waiting to process with you.
The God who Jesus knew likes small things. It’s actually his love language. Start here.
In front of you.
Beside you.
With you.
Behind you.
It’s actually what Christians have been doing for the longest time. Let me end with another generation’s form of this prayer. For those of you who need to know, this is the prayer of St. Patrick:
Christ with me. Christ before me. Christ behind me. Christ in me. Christ beneath me. Christ above me.1
May this be our prayer for the year 2022. Amen.
References
1This is a short excerpt from St. Patrick’s Breastplate. You can see the full version here.