Every Night with Matt

Todays devotional is a collab between Matt Coombs who wrote the reflection and the extraordinarily talented Joey Walker (@naturalhabitat_music) who composed the music. Joey can often be found behind the drums at St Mary's and recently produced Maddie Bowe's latest EP.

In peace I will lie down and sleep,
    for you alone, Lord,
    make me dwell in safety.

The Daily Reflection or Examen is an ancient practice of ending the day by seeking God’s presence and acknowledging the Holy Spirit’s activity throughout our day. It’s more of an attitude than a method, a time set aside in thankful reflection of where God is in your everyday life.

There are lots of versions of this practice of varying depth and detail, but this one has just four movements: Rest, Reflect, Review and Re-Set.

When done on your own this reflection can last as long or as little as you like. If one section seems to be significant, I would recommend not rushing away but dwelling there. The purpose is to enjoy connection with God, not to complete a task.

In this audio version, I will lead you through the stages and try to leave enough space for you to process the day.

This practice is easiest when we are calm, and still. Find somewhere comfortable and quiet to sit or lie down and if you possibly can, try to be ready for bed. 

If you were to do this form of reflection every night for a couple of weeks you will inevitably become increasingly self-aware of your patterns, process your joys and hardships and see more readily that God is with you through every moment of your day.

You may like to keep a journal nearby to jot down some thoughts or patterns that emerge at the end.

You can find this recording in the Media tab on the app in case you would like to try this discipline for a number of days in a row. 

When you are ready - press play.