The Way of Walking With Jesus
Photo by Katie Burkhart on Unsplash
I like to be on the move. I have found that movement allows me to engage in intentional internal moments of silence and stillness. The biggest example of this is my love of running, which started in middle school. I have been running ever since, completing my last full marathon in 2016. Running for 30-plus years gave me space to process the hard things in life, to listen for the voice of God, and to experience great joy and deep relationships with those who took to the pavement or trail with me.
I believe the notion that the race is not to the swift but to those who keep on running. Now, in my mid-forties, it has become more challenging for me to claim the “runner” title. My carefree running days seem to be in the past because my body no longer can handle the miles without pain. Over the last year, I have reluctantly embraced walking as an acceptable way to meet the desire I have to move as I process the hard things in life, listen for the voice of God, and continue to experience joy and good conversations with friends who are willing to accompany me.
From the beginning, the people of God have walked as a way of communion and obedience with God. Adam and Eve walked with God in the garden. Abraham, Moses, and many others talked with God and were asked to "go" to places they did not know. The invitation to follow God is similar today. As we seek the Lord, the invitation is to "go" with the Lord in trust, even when we cannot see where we are going or how we will get there.
In walking with Jesus through embodied practices like communion, baptism, meditation, contemplation, prayer walking, and pilgrimage, we become aware that movement enhances the experiences of internal slowing, silence, and stillness while opening our hearts to obedience and trust as we accept our invitation to "go" with God in our lives.
Communion is the physical act of eating bread and drinking wine (grape juice) in community as we integrate our lives with the life of Christ. Through the Eucharist, we celebrate the power and grace offered to us in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
Baptism is a personal and communal embodied practice where we mimic the death and resurrection of Jesus through water immersion, symbolizing dying to ourselves and believing that we rise with new Life, just as the physical death and resurrection of Jesus ushered in new beginnings, the Holy Spirit and eternal Life.
Meditation can take many forms including embodied practices that encourage breath and physical movement while meditating on the loving presence of God through spoken words, Scripture, and intentional quiet space. This helps create awareness of how our hearts, minds, and body interact with the Lord to bring peace to our souls.
Contemplation can also take several forms, my favorite being walking in a labyrinth. This prayer practice encourages trusting the journey with God through a simple marked path based on the ancient practice of pilgrimage. To clarify, a labyrinth is not a maze that you can get lost in. Walking a labyrinth has the ability to move one from disorientation to orientation as they journey towards the center seeking grace, wisdom, and understanding with God.
For more than 12 years, walking in labyrinths has been my treasured way to pray. The focused path leading to and from a centering place has often brought understanding and healing and has proven many times over to be a place where I sense God speaking and moving in me. It is also where I have received time and time again a reassurance of God's loving presence and kindness through my life. In the Psalms, David's words sum up my experience walking a labyrinth.
“You make known to me the path of life; in your presence, there is fullness of joy" (Psalms 16:11)
Embodied practices require physical movement while asking us to consider the inner stillness of letting go of fear and knowing the Love of God. I have received tangible gifts in my many years of running, walking, and moving with God in labyrinths. These treasures allow me to look back, and say, like Jacob, "Surely the Lord is in this place." Genesis 28:16
Creator God, we thank you for your promises in Scripture that whether we turn to the right or to the left, our ears will hear a voice behind us saying, “This is the way; walk in it”. By your grace, Jesus, and the power of the Holy Spirit, give us the ability to trust in you with all of our heart, letting go of our own understanding. As we acknowledge you in all our ways, fulfill the promise to make our paths straight. In the name of Jesus, Amen (Isaiah 30:21, Proverbs 3:5-7)
How to Use a Labyrinth in Your Prayer Time (from http://www.grace.org/labyrinth/)
There are no specific “rules” to walking the labyrinth. Here are a few guidelines that can be useful:
Pause as you enter the threshold; intentionally offer this time to the Lord. If a particular issue is weighing on your heart or a direction you feel God is leading you, be ready to include that topic in your walk.
On the walk inward, you might meditate on a Scripture passage, or talk and listen to God about a particular topic or question. Give your cares and distractions over to Him. God is with you in this walk and in your daily walk with Him.
When you arrive in the center, rest and rejoice in the Lord’s presence. Take time to wait and listen. God longs to be the center of your life. Let the Lord lead you back out.
On the walk outward, think about how you will take what God is saying to you back into your daily life. Thank God for his presence with you now and after you finish your walk.
Process and reflect on your experience in the labyrinth. You may want to write, draw, or share your thoughts with a friend.
Other ways to engage the Labyrinth for prayer:
Worship and praise God as you walk to the center, and then when turning to walk back out, consider interceding for others you know and care for.
Are you dealing with shame and need forgiveness? Use this time for confession and experience healing and freedom as you bring your heart to the Lord and experience the freedom of walking back out with assurance of God’s love for you.
Do you have anger, fear, or shame you are harboring about a person or event that has deeply hurt you that you need to forgive? Walk with God to allow Him to speak into your cares and concerns.
Did you have a dream and wonder if there was something meaningful that the Lord wants you to understand? Hold your dream before the Lord asking for wisdom to discern parts that are important for you to understand.
Are you seeking clarity about a situation that you are encountering? Invite the Lord into your concerns and questions.
Resources
Local labyrinths for public use:
Teaching your family how to pray with labyrinths:
Make your own finger labyrinth. There are several online resources available by searching “make your own finger labyrinths.”
Using a finger labyrinth introduces you to the concept of labyrinth walking. However, being able to walk an actual labyrinth is a beautiful and profound experience. As a family try making an annual or semi annual trip to a local labyrinth. It is a great way to spend a beautiful morning or afternoon and create a habit of prayer.
Helpful books on embodied practices (Recommendations from LifePoint President, Adam Ormord):