And yet, we are so in need of prayer when physically distressed. While ill or injured, we are likely to make mistakes, revert to immature behavior due to frayed emotions, miss important interior clues, and descend into despair. At such times, we need to cling to prayer, not drop it.
As someone who can become incapacitated by a sinus headache, I know how little inclined to prayer a person can be when she’s not feeling well. So the prayer should be easy, short, and to the point. Why not an Examen designed for times of illness?
Step 1: See yourself in God’s presence, bathed in God’s loving gaze. I’ve found it helpful to huddle on the bed and, rather than dwell in self-pity, imagine God looking down on me as a parent gazes with compassion on a child who is hurt. I curl up, cry or whimper if that’s what I feel like doing, and pray something like, “Lord, I feel so bad!” This might sound like self-pity, but when it is directed to God, it becomes a statement of faith in
God’s concern for us...READ MORE
