Imaginative Prayer
Have you ever wondered why the Lord has given us our imagination: the ability to conjure up things both seen and things never before thought of? To me, imagination is a beautiful gift that enhances my desire for more than this world can offer. It encourages me to accept the miraculous. Now, I understand imagination to be a powerful muscle that, when exercised properly, allows me to grow closer to Jesus.
This past week, I practiced imaginative prayer for the first time. Also known as Ignatian Prayer or encounter prayer, it is a beautiful practice of engaging with the Trinity by inviting Him to meet and speak with you in your mind’s eye. This is what my imaginative prayer time looked like:
Asking the Holy Spirit to protect, guide, and use my imagination
Settling into a time of focus on the Lord
Reading a short passage within Scripture to guide my imagination (e.g. Nathaniel meeting Jesus in John 1: 44-50)
Imagining myself within the passage of Scripture (as a “main character”)
Encountering Jesus and being open to what He has to tell, show, or reveal to me
Staying within the story, even if I don’t sense Jesus there, so I don’t miss what God has for me during this time
Staying within the silence, even if I can’t imagine anything, so I don’t miss what God has for me during this time
Ending my time in gratitude for the Lord’s willingness to meet with me and for anything He has revealed to me during our time together
Through my time in imaginative prayer this week, I was able to encounter Jesus and hear from Him in deeply personal ways. Of course, sometimes I became distracted or found part of what I imagined hard to accept. Thankfully, as it was my first time participating in this practice, I had a “guide” whom I met with each day to share about my Jesus encounter. She helped me discern what the Lord wanted me to hear and suggested a passage of Scripture for my next prayer time. (When you don’t have a prayer guide, a good adage is “when in doubt, throw it out!”).
Imaginative prayer is not an escapist mechanism. It’s not about daydreaming Jesus into one’s fantasyland. It’s much better than either of those things—it’s a real encounter with Jesus, led by the Holy Spirit, and in the presence of the Father. My favorite part of my experience this week was that I felt seen, really seen, and loved, by Jesus.
If you are interested in imaginative prayer, a good resource is Pray As You Go.
About the author: Clara Litzsinger works on the All Nations International team and is passionate about engaging the nations, both globally and locally.
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