Presence Over Perfection - Prayer in Motion: 5 Days to Relieving Stress and Praying with Your Whole Self

“Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.” (Colossians 4:2, NLT)

“Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory He will reveal to us later.” (Romans 8:18, NLT)

I wasn’t always very good at prayer. Oh, I tried. My young, rule-following, perfectionist heart was determined to do everything I was told would make me a “good Christian.” And so I made my lists and I checked off each task: Read my Bible every day. Pray every day. Go to church every time the doors are open. The list went on and on.

But my motivation was perfection, not presence, and so prayer became just another thing to remember to do, another check on the endless list of unrealistic expectations. I didn’t pray from a place of love; I prayed from a place of obligation and performance. And when I forgot to pray, I buried myself in guilt and shame, promising myself and God that I’d do better tomorrow.

At the time, I was disconnected from my body in so many ways. Our family was in the midst of a very long and difficult season of challenges, and I had slowly spiraled into a constant state of anxiety, always bracing for the next crisis. I was going through the motions, doing all the things that needed to be done. I thought I was okay. But my body told a different story.

I was just surviving, just getting through each day. I felt stuck. I was trapped in a cycle of anxiety and pain, uncertainty and fear. And I didn’t know the way out.

The healing journey for me has been long (and is still ongoing), and the changes haven’t been easy or fast. I would guess that is likely true for most of us. We are not one-dimensional, compartmentalized beings. We are body and mind and soul, and every part of us is connected to every other part. And so the journey toward healing is woven through multiple layers of interconnected care—by caring for the body, the mind, and the soul.

Right here in the middle of our regular, ordinary life is where we meet God. He can always be found in the present moment, here and now—as you groggily roll out of bed, as you pour a cup of coffee, as you drive the kids to school, as you commute to work, as you cook dinner, as you sit on the couch, as you scroll on your phone. He is here. The real question is, are you? Are you fully present in this moment? Are you aware of the presence of God with you right now?

So many of us get caught up in the frantic pace of life, quickly rushing from one task to the next, ruminating over the past or worrying about the future. We rarely slow down long enough to pay attention to the moment right in front of us, let alone notice God’s presence with us in every moment.

Prayer is how we can practice this present-moment awareness of God’s presence.

There is no perfect answer to the struggles and stress of life. Suffering in some form is a part of all our stories. There is no such thing as a stress-free life. But no matter your current circumstances, you can experience the inner strength and abiding peace you long for, even in the midst of deep darkness and difficulty. There is hope. And that hope can begin in a place you may not expect—the place where you carry the stories of your suffering: your body.

The next few days of this reading plan will walk you through some practical ways to connect with God and your body, be fully present, and pray with your whole self through embodied prayers.

An Embodied Prayer for Today

(Pray this prayer as you walk. You can walk around your neighborhood, in a park, around your room, etc.)

Heavenly Father,

Walk with me along the way. Examine my heart as I align my pace with the rhythm of Your grace, walking with You step by step.

Show me what I need to release to You – the stress, the pain, the worries, the fears.

Step by step, I will walk in You.

Step by step, I will enjoy Your presence.

I give You the hard things I am carrying.

I trust You to keep making a way through.

Amen.