The Examen

In the very first sentence of the monumental Institutes of the Christian Religion, John Calvin says that there is no knowledge of God without knowledge of self. Wisdom, he says, consists almost entirely of two parts: the knowledge of God and of ourselves.

I can attest to the veracity of this foundational statement. I remember a time in college when I had lost my way a bit and needed to make some difficult decisions about where my life was going. So, armed with a Bible, a granola bar, and Rich Mullins Liturgy, Legacy and a Ragamuffin Band CD, I ventured into Payne’s Prairie Preserve State Park just outside of Gainesville, FL to find answers.

After a day of searching and solitude, I found them.

Interestingly though, the answers that I found were not just in what God revealed to me about Himself but rather in what God revealed to me about myself. That day in the woods, between avoiding alligators and Eastern Diamondbacks, and in the stillness of searching my soul, God began to show me hard truths and deeper things about where my life was going and why it was going that way.

I didn’t have the particular of the Prayer of Examen then, but over the years I’ve used this tool as a means of searching my soul and situation to find answers in the same way that I did so many years ago in the swamps of Florida. If you are looking for answers about your soul and situation, consider the framework of the Prayer of Examen below. Using it can be a step toward wisdom and as Calvin says, greater knowledge of God and of ourselves.

What is the Prayer of Examen?

The Prayer of Examen is a practice based on Paul’s letter to the Corinthians where he said that Christians would examine their conscience before taking the Lord’s Supper (1 Corinthians 11:28). Christians throughout the ages have practiced some version of it. The practice walks through a process of reflection: examining conscience and actions while paying attention to the ways that sin and selfish desires have hold of us.

As we look deep within ourselves and pay attention to the ways we’ve hurt others or hurt ourselves, what often comes to light are things we typically try to avoid — fear and anxiety, anger and bitterness, shame and sadness. And yet, instead of avoiding these emotions, in this practice of examination we summon the courage to push further into them in order to be free of them. In this way, we can deal honestly with what’s inside us, with what draws us away from God and the good life He offers, and so experience God’s love and mercy even in the deepest, darkest of places.

Three Movements

The Prayer of Examen is a practice contains three movements: Examination, Confession, and Assurance

1. Examination.

Begin by sitting quietly and paying attention to your mind and body.

Consider these reflection questions: Are you angry? Tense? Bitter? Ashamed? Frustrated? Scared?

Ask God to open your mind and heart so that you might see anything that’s offensive to Him within you. Allow the feelings and emotions that come to the surface to inform you about the status of your own heart. Instead of pushing them aside, press into these questions and ask yourself why.

Why are you angry? Why are you tense? Why are you ashamed? And so on. See if any of your answers can be traced back to any more basic human impulses: are you seeking approval and failing to find it? Are you comparing yourself to others or some standard of perfectionism you hold?

It is often helpful to recount recent events. Think back throughout your day, then previous weeks and even months. Consider these reflection questions as you are thinking about the present and the past: What are your regrets? What do yo wish you’d done differently? When did your emotions get away from you and why?

2. Confession.

As you search your heart and God begins to bring things to your mind, confess your sins. Be specific.

In his book Recapturing the Wonder, Mike Cosper offers these words as a helpful template: "Lord in your mercy, hear my prayer. Forgive me for _________. Let me trust in Jesus' blood for forgiveness, and let me now walk by the light of the Holy Spirit." Consider using these words or simply utilize your own.

Ultimately, confession is about honesty and trust before our merciful God. What you say to Him in confession does not always have to be sins of commission, but rather can simply be honesty and authenticity about telling God about your emotions and trusting that He cares enough for you to listen (1 Peter 5:7). Consider using these phrases:

“God, I am scared about _________.”

“God, I am anxious about _________.”

“God, I am angry about _________.”

3. Assurance

The Practice of Examen always ends by remembering that the work of grace has already been accomplished by Jesus through His death and resurrection. Here, we must do what D. Martin Lloyd Jones has taught us — we must preach the Gospel to ourselves.

Think about this: who is the most influential person in your life?

It’s the person who talks to you more than anyone else and guess who that is?

You!

You are the most influential person in your life because you talk to yourself more than anyone else. Dr. Jones said that ultimately the aim of Scripture is to teach yourself how to talk to yourself the right way. And sometimes you have to tell your emotions what reality is and how they should feel. Because regardless of what we have going on in our soul or situation, we don’t feel our way into our beliefs. Instead, we believe our way into our feelings.

So consider these Scriptures to use in preaching the Gospel to yourself:

“As far as the East is from the West, so far does He remove our transgressions from us.” (Psalm 103:12)

“I, I am He who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins. (Isaiah 43:25)

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:6)

Again, as we reflect on these Scriptures and remember God’s mercy, it is crucial that we look to Jesus’ reconciling work on the cross as the way that God has accomplished it. For many Christians, what they feel is the most reliable indicator of what is true.

You may indeed feel like God has forgotten you.

You may indeed feel distant from God.

You may feel all of these things but God’s Word tells us that your emotions are often not reliable indicators of reality so we must choose to believe God’s Word even though we may not be able to feel His presence.

Martin Luther used to call this, “Drowning out the voices of despair with the louder voice of the Gospel.” At times Luther would actually shout at the devil. He would go to a secluded place and yell, “No! I’m not been abandoned and I’ve not been forsaken by God because I know who He is and I know what He has done.”

Maybe some of you should do that as you work through this practice of the Examen.

It worked for me in the swamps of Florida. It worked for Luther in the forests of Germany. Perhaps, God will use it to work in your life in the hills of Texas too!

For more practices like this, consider Mike Cosper’s excellent book Recapturing the Wonder. This book taught me this practice of examination as well many other practical applications for spiritual disciplines.