Habitual Remaining

An Practical Application of John 15:1-4

‘I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. John 15:1-4

I love libraries. But while studying in seminary, after about 5 hours straight, I went stir crazy. I found a nearby park, Lacy Park, that was just the right size, with just the right tables, at just the right temperature in L.A., to spend hours studying, reading…and praying. I soon figured out that Lacy Park was the perfect place to take a morning in prayer. All I needed was a process to guide me. In this post I want to share my process as well as a few things you need for your own “Lacy Park morning of prayer.”

I. Things you need:

• A morning without interruption

• A Bible

• Pens/Paper

• A beautiful location

• A process to work through (see below)

• Sandwich/Water

• A change of clothing for weather changes that are possible in your context.

II. The Process (with Suggestions/Examples)

I have developed a ten-step process. Each step can take about 20 minutes. At the outset, let me say that I rarely make it through all ten. More often, I find that certain steps are more important than others given what is going on in my life.

Step One: Rejoice in the Lord.

I begin by reciting some scriptures to focus my mind on God. For example:

“And (the Lord) passed in front of Moses, proclaming, ‘The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.” -Exodus 34:6-7a

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

-Philippians 4:4-7

“…be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” -Ephesians 5: 18b-20

Then, once I am ready, I begin to worship with a song or a hymn, something like:

Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth.

Sing to the Lord, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day.

Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples.

For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods.

For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the Lord made the heavens.

Splendour and majesty are before him; strength and glory are in his sanctuary.

Ascribe to the Lord, all you families of nations, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.

Ascribe to the Lord the glory due to his name; bring an offering and come into his courts.

Worship the Lord in the splendour of his holiness; tremble before him, all the earth.

Say among the nations, ‘The Lord reigns.’ The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved;

he will judge the peoples with equity.

Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it.

Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them; let all the trees of the forest sing for joy.

Let all creation rejoice before the Lord, for he comes, he comes to judge the earth.

He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his faithfulness. -Psalm 96

(Also: Psalm 9, while struggling with others, Psalm 33 and old hymns like “O For A Thousand Tongues to Sing” and “Be Thou My Vision.”)

Step Two: Confess Our Sins

This is a rarer and thus more necessary part of our lives. Our culture is hypersensitive to the sins of others. But Christians, who begin by proclaiming the beauty, justice, and perfection of God, move naturally to confess the contrast in our own lives.

There are examples of this practice in the Bible, for example:

‘Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws. We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes and our ancestors, and to all the people of the land. -Daniel 9:4-6

There are also confessions we can practice from Christians who have gone before us:

You who are faithful throughout all generations, righteous in your judgments, marvelous in strength and excellence. …

You who are good, and faithful toward those who trust in you. …

You who show pity and compassion. …

Forgive us our sins, our unrighteousness, our transgressions, and our shortcomings. Do not hold us to account for every sin, but cleanse us with the cleansing of your truth. Guide our steps to walk in holiness, righteousness, and singleness of heart. Help us to do those things that are good and pleasing in your sight. Amen.¹

(Also: Psalm 51)

Step Three: Receive Forgiveness.

This is also quite different from our present societal approach. First, Christian forgiveness is available to everyone who asks, regardless of their political or ideological viewpoint. In the Apostolic Constitutions (a collection of prayers and liturgical instructions dating to about the year 375), we find this vivid prayer of confession and repentance:

Almighty, eternal God, look down upon us as we bow the neck of our souls and our bodies to you. You do not want us to die as sinners. You desire repentance, instead. You want us to turn from our wicked ways, and live.

You want all people to be saved, and acknowledge the truth. You once accepted the repentance of the people of Nineveh. And as in the parable of the prodigal son, where the father accepted back the son who repented after he had squandered his inheritance in sinful living—now would you accept our repentance as we come before you?

For we all sin. But “If you, Lord, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness” -Psalm 130:3–4.

Restore us to your fellowship, in your Church. Restore us to dignity and honor, through Christ our Lord and Savior, amen.

Second, our forgiveness is sourced, not from our activism, but from the finished work of God in Christ. As the Bible says:

But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. -Isaiah 53:5

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. -I John 1:9

Finally, our forgiveness is closely tied to our forgiving others. As the Lord’s Prayer says,

And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. -Matthew 6:12

After confessing your sins and receiving God’s forgiveness, reflect on any contentious or broken relationships that you have. Then pray for grace to forgive them and let your hurt and anger go.

Step Four: Acknowledge those who have contributed to your life.

Taking time to reflect on the people who have contributed to your life as well as praying a prayer of thanks for God’s placing them in your life helps with a deeper sense of contentment and joy. Again, there are passages of the Bible to inspire you:

For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. -Ephesians 1:15-16

I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now… -Philippians 1:3-5

…brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me – put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. -Philippians 4:8-9:

Step Five: Lunch/Snack Break

At about an hour and a half in, I take a break for a snack or for lunch. Only a couple of “have tos” here:

1. Enjoy the beauty!

2. No cell phones!

If my mind wanders I sometimes reflect on Psalm 131:

My heart is not proud, Lord,
my eyes are not haughty;
I do not concern myself with great matters
or things too wonderful for me.
But I have calmed and quietened myself,
I am like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child I am content.

Israel, put your hope in the Lord
both now and for evermore.

Step Six: How am I learning and growing?

Now that I am resting in God, I begin to reflect on my life, beginning with what God is teaching me. I surface this by reflecting on:

1. What passages of scripture have stood out to me in my Bible reading?

2. What prayers have been answered since my last 1/2 day of prayer?

3. What recent experiences seem like “teaching moments”?

I write down whatever comes up in my journal.

Step Seven: What do I truly believe?

Take time to reflect on the beliefs, interpretations, and ideas that have guided your actions of late. Write them down and consider their validity. What is their source? What ideas support your assertions? What are the beliefs of those who oppose your position? Is there anything in their views that could shape or strengthen yours?

Then, once you are confident in your beliefs, recommit yourself to them in a prayer to God.

For example:

Lord, you have called me, at the beginning of this third chapter of life, to write quality historical fiction about your work in the world. I commit the best of my energy and time to completing this calling. Bless my writing that others will be encourage to translate their faith into their every day lives. Amen.

Step Eight: Key books

Once we have committed ourselves to our beliefs, we can align our reading with our actions.

For example:

I want to write the best book I possibly can, with wit, humor, and horror. Therefore, I will read the following:

Humor/Wit:

• Anything written by G.K. Chesterton

Horror:

• The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and The Suicide Club by Robert Louis Stevenson:

• The Beetle by Richard Marsh

• Dracula by Bram Stoker

High-Quality Writing:

• The First Circle by Alexander Solzhenitsyn.

• Inferno, Pergatorio, and Paradiso by Dante Alighieri

• Dombey and Sons by Charles Dickens

Step Nine: My community

Who am I going to walk closely with in this time of life?

In chapter three my core community is my wife, my parents, my sons and my daughter and law.

I will also deepen a few select relationships with other Christians.

Step Ten: Allocating my resources

I will continue to reduce my time watching news, social media and streaming movies to focus instead on high priority tasks in alignment with my goals and prayers such as:

• key reading,

• administering the family business,

• stewarding our resources,

• writing my book,

• travel with my wife,

• publishing on Substack.

I usually conclude with another 15-20 minutes of enjoying the park before heading back to the car and driving home with renewed strength and a confident sense of direction…until the next time of prayer!

1. Born around AD 35, Clement of Rome may have been the same Clement that the apostle Paul mentioned in Philippians 4. And in a pastoral letter to believers in Corinth, Clement included this confession: