Day Fourteen- 1/14/11 Intercessory Praining in Color

Day Fourteen: 1/14/11
New Thing:  Intercessory Praying in Color
Inspiration: The Book “Praying in Color”
Cost: $15.00 for the book and $0 for markers with gift card
Time: A little over an hour
Bottom Line: I feel calmer and peaceful after lifting up others in prayer in this new way. 

Reflection: As I mentioned way back in the first post, I am hoping to set aside one day a week during this experiment to trying new ways of prayer. Typically, that day will be Friday since that is my day off. I try to keep it as a Sabbath day that is spent quietly with family (notice I said that I TRY to do this—not that I always accomplish this.) I pray the Daily Office (at least Morning and Evening Prayer) which is always a source of solace for me. However, prayer is a lot like exercise—if you only do one kind of exercise, your body will get so use to it that you will plateau and will no longer be changed by that activity. So, this will be a nice way for me to talk and listen to the Holy in ways that I have not tried in order to stretch my Spirit.

Several months ago, I picked up a book called “Praying in Color: Drawing a New Path to God” after hearing really good things about it. However, I never really got around to using it or exploring how I could use it in group settings. So, I sat down today with this tool for the first time and was really happy with what it found.

There are many different exercise in this book, so you will probably hear me talk about it again. Yet, there was one section that really spoke to me. Lately, I have had many prayer requests from people who are in transition or trials. Along with the requests, I have felt called to really hold up certain loved ones in prayer for reasons that I am not fully aware of. And, it has also been my joy to hold up prayers of thanksgiving for others as well. All of these people have been laying on my heart, and this book suggested a beautiful way to offer them to God.

Here is an example from MacBeth's website

Simply put, you name each person on a piece of paper and draw a shape or design that helps you focus on them. Then, you fill in that design with more detail and color. As a final step, you might add intuitions or concerns for that person around their shape. All the while, you hold that person up into the presence of the Holy Spirit.

It sounds very easy, and actually like a kind of artistic meditation that I already do. But the simplicity of the exercise let me reach a dept of peace very quickly. The more detail I added, the more time I spent on each individual. The colors I chose took on new meaning. I was not quick to fall victim to distraction because the part of my mind that usually turns to “to do” lists was given something easy to do. And the best part is that now I have a visual to help me remember these folks all day long. I am very thankful for this time of prayer on behalf of others.