The Spiritual Discipline of Living an Examined Life

Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you – unless, of course, you fail the test. 2 Corinthians 13:5

A.W. Tozar wrote, The philosopher Socrates said, “An unexamined life is not worth living.” If a common philosopher could think that, how much more we Christians ought to listen to the Holy Spirit when He says, “Examine yourself.”

In a world where introspection and self-awareness are culturally glorified, how strange we would think to pursue a life examined by God Himself. Not for the purpose of finding some more profound inner happiness, but to unleash the immeasurable strength and empowerment of Christ in us. Today we will look at The Prayer of Examen and both sides of the coin of living an examined life.

The examen of consciousness.

In the first part, the examen of consciousness or awareness, we seek not to know thyself, but to discover God’s very presence within us and therefore know God. We start by reflecting on our day, week, or month and ask God to show us places where we had encountered His presence. We look at how He was in the everyday, even the mundane. We take the time to remember.

I remember how I longed to find release from writer’s block recently and reflect on how graciously the words have come to mind this week. That was God. I remember how much I love the tree in my backyard, as I can once again hear the song of the leaves rustling in the wind. That is God. I remember how a call from a colleague checking in on me, brightened my day. I heard God in that call.

We can examine the common things all around us and find God. Nature is a great place to do this. I remember one morning having coffee at the kitchen table and looking out back and seeing a soft, beautiful fog covering the ground. It compelled me to write a poem for God as a means of worship. I will post a copy of it below. What ordinary things in your day remind you of God?

An invitation to let God peek.

We now flip to the other side of the coin, an invitation for God to look deep within our hearts. David says it this way in Psalm 139:23-24: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts. See if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

If the examination is solely a self-examination, we will always end up with excessive praise or blame. – Madame Guyon

As we offer up our hearts for examination to God, we can be sure He will uncover not just our strengths but our weakness, not just our goodness but our brokenness, not just our pride but our shame. There is no need to run and hide or to try to cover ourselves up with a fig leaf. We are, in prayer, offering up all of us to God. We are presenting ourselves as living sacrifices. It is only when we lay it all down that we can be drawn into His righteousness. Richard Foster, in his book, Prayer: Finding the Heart’s True Home, calls this a scrutiny of love.

The Priceless Grace of Self-Knowledge

Do you know your Enneagram type? How about your Myers-Briggs type? I love all the different personality tests out there! I am an enneagram four and an INFJ on the Myers-Briggs. How about you? But what is the purpose of us knowing ourselves so thoroughly? Is it so we can obtain personal peace? Or are we to use this knowledge for a higher purpose? What if self-knowledge was a way of prayer? What if it bound our hearts to our Creator? Or shaped how we worshiped God? Allowed us to become the offering, as a living sacrifice, to God?

When we accept our true nature, not trying to hide behind who we want to be, we become a offering worth sacrificing up to God.  That is the grace of self-knowledge.

How do we practice the prayer of the examen?

When I pray, I often imagine lifting my prayers up to God. Making the prayers an outward motion, coming out of my heart and going up to God. The spiritual discipline of living an examined life has us turn our prayers inward. When you became a Christian, you accepted Christ into your heart. You invited Him to live within you. This prayer seeks out the Lord of your soul. Imagine God as a magnetic force living in your innermost being. Now, as you allow Him to reveal to you the truths—the good, the bad, and the ugly—remember it is the weight of love drawing our prayers through our bodies to the God of our souls.

Some practical ways to enter the prayer of the examen.

Journaling. – I like to journal my prayers, I have a journal that guides me to reflect upon my day and seek out places to praise, places to ask for forgiveness, places to seek help, and finishes with a place to journal a remembrance of God’s promises.

Listening prayer. – A pattern I find helpful is to start with praise of the God who sees me. I then invite the Holy Spirit to examine my heart and reveal to me what I need to see today. Next, I enter into a time of confession and asking for forgiveness as I ask God to help me do better the next day. I end with thanks for all that He has shown me and for His grace and mercy in my life.

Take a prayer walk in nature. – Ok, I don’t do this often at all, but I wish I did it more. I am more likely just to observe nature from my backyard. We are blessed to have the beauty of God’s creation surrounding us at our home. But, a prayer walk in nature, when I have experienced it, has been quite beautiful. Simply take the time to notice the intricate details of the world God created for you.

Take a personal spiritual retreat. – This can be a time away by yourself or just part of a day at home. The point is that it is an intentional time used to connect with God in a more profound, more intimate way.

An Examen of Love

One of the things I have found surprising in the prayer of examen is the goodness God brings to my mind. I so often go into this prayer, expecting God to show me a laundry list of the things for which I need to ask forgiveness. Or to point out the opportunities I missed, in seeing Him in my day. But often, what I actually encounter is God’s encouragement. Of course, the other is there too, and in the mercy of His love, I work through it all. But, the beauty of this prayer almost always takes my heart by surprise.

Heavenly Father, although I feel some trepidation over inviting you to examine my heart, I trust you to be with me in the journey. Help me to know myself and you better in what you reveal. Today, I invite you to examen me with your scrutiny of love. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

For a more in-depth look at The Prayer of Examen, see Richard Foster’s book, Prayer, Finding the Heart’s True Home.