EHS Practices – Week 5 – Day 4

THEME: GROWING THROUGH GRIEF

BREATH PRAYER: FATHER, HELP ME WALK WITH YOU THROUGH MY GRIEF AND LOSS

SETTLING IN:

• In a journal, note the day, time, and place you’re sitting.
• Open with a few moments of silence. Rest, and breathe deeply.
• Complete the following sentence in your journal: Today, I feel ________________.
• Read these words slowly (aloud or silently):

“Search for the Lord and his strength; continually seek his face. Remember the marvels he has done, his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth.”
(Psalm 105:4-5)

Pray this week’s breath prayer and pause for a few moments of silence.

PRACTICE:
NARRATIVE ENTRY

Narrative Entry is a practice by which we place ourselves in a passage from the Bible as if we are living it. Allowing the Holy Spirit to work through our imagination, we aim to see, hear, smell, touch, and even taste what is happening in the Bible narrative.

• Read Matthew 26:36-45 slowly, setting the scene in your mind.
• Read through it two more times slowly, and imagine you are Peter. What do you see, feel, hear, and know?
• Read it through one more time. This time, imagine that you are a “silent observer,” standing in the garden and watching the scene unfold. What do you see, feel, hear, and know?
• In your journal, write down what you observed during your reading. Did anything surprise you? Was there something you hadn’t previously noticed that jumped out? What do you think the Lord might be saying through this?

Digging Deeper: We all have people in our lives who are grieving. Whether they are grieving a physical death, the loss of a job, pain of the past, dashed hopes, or anything else, they need a friend to “stay awake” with them just as Jesus did in the garden. Ask God to bring someone to mind that is grieving. Ask Him how he would have you comfort this person and “stay awake” with them.

• Summary: Write in your journal a brief summary (five sentences or less) of your time with Jesus in the garden.
• Closing Prayer: Thank God for His willingness to suffer for our sakes. Father, help me walk with You through my grief and loss.