{"id":2435,"date":"2025-11-24T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-24T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/yfc.ca\/resources\/?p=2435"},"modified":"2025-11-12T22:19:55","modified_gmt":"2025-11-13T03:19:55","slug":"epray-ep-34-lectio-divina-joy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yfc.ca\/resources\/2025\/11\/24\/epray-ep-34-lectio-divina-joy\/","title":{"rendered":"ePray | Ep. 34 Lectio Divina: Joy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/a>\n\n\n\r\n
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ePray | Lectio Divina: Ep. 34 Joy<\/h2>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Listen to the episode here, or read the transcript below – and don’t forget to tune in weekly!<\/p>\n

ePray | Episode 34| November 24, 2025
\nLectio Divina: Joy<\/strong>
\nWith Darryl Parsons – Youth for Christ Canada<\/p>\n<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

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Lectio Divina: Joy
\nDate: November 24, 2025
\nScripture: Philippians 4:4-5<\/strong><\/p>\n

Darryl Parsons<\/b><\/p>\n

Part 1: Inward Focus<\/strong><\/p>\n

Welcome, our theme for November is joy<\/p>\n

As we pause to turn our thoughts toward God, we begin with a breath prayer.<\/p>\n

One of the most common prayers in the Psalms is \u201cLord, have mercy.\u201d The Desert Fathers and Mothers developed this into a breath prayer that became known as the \u201cJesus Prayer\u201d: \u201cLord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.\u201d<\/p>\n

To begin, slow your breathing (and your heart rate) by inhaling deeply, holding your breath briefly, and then exhaling slowly.<\/p>\n

Imagine yourself breathing in God\u2019s Spirit. As you hold your breath, become aware of the indwelling Spirit. As you breathe out, release your anxieties so that you can live freely in God\u2019s loving presence.<\/p>\n

Breathe in slowly and deeply as you whisper or think, \u201cLord Jesus Christ, Son of God.\u201d
\nHold your breath and your awareness of God\u2019s presence for a moment.
\nThen exhale as you whisper or think, \u201chave mercy on me, a sinner.\u201d<\/p>\n

Our scripture passage is PHILIPPIANS 4:4-7<\/p>\n

\nAlways be full of joy in the Lord.
\nI say it again\u2014rejoice!
\nLet everyone see that you are considerate in all you do.
\nRemember, the Lord is coming soon.
\nDon\u2019t worry about anything;
\ninstead, pray about everything.
\nTell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.
\nThen you will experience God\u2019s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.
\nHis peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.<\/p>\n

Paul writes these words from a Roman prison. Those are not the kind of circumstances that would naturally lead to peace and joy. Where do you find yourself today? Are you in a place that feels oriented toward joy, or are your circumstances causing you fear and anxiety? Share your honest feelings with God.<\/em><\/p>\n

Pause<\/p>\n

The invitation of these words is not to give in to fear. How do you want to respond to that invitation today?<\/em><\/p>\n

Pause<\/p>\n

Where do you see beauty and grace in the circumstances of life today?<\/em><\/p>\n

Pause<\/p>\n

Part 2: Outward Focus<\/b><\/p>\n

\n

As we read the passage again, think about the young people in your sphere of influence.<\/p>\n

Always be full of joy in the Lord.
\nI say it again\u2014rejoice!
\nLet everyone see that you are considerate in all you do.
\nRemember, the Lord is coming soon.
\nDon\u2019t worry about anything;
\ninstead, pray about everything.
\nTell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.
\nThen you will experience God\u2019s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.
\nHis peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.<\/p>\n

Are there one or two specific youth coming to mind who need to hear this word? Pray for them by name.<\/em><\/p>\n

Pause<\/p>\n

How might you be able to encourage someone today? Invite God to bring people or situations to mind and give you ideas for how you might share joy in a meaningful way.<\/em><\/p>\n

Pause<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Part 3: Wesleyan Covenant Prayer<\/b><\/p>\n

We end this time with the Wesleyan Covenant Prayer:<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n


\n<\/span>I am no longer my own, but yours.<\/span>
\n<\/span>Put me to what you will, place me with whom you will.<\/span>
\n<\/span>Put me to doing, put me to suffering.<\/span>
\n<\/span>Let me be put to work for you or set aside for you, praised for you or criticized for you.<\/span>
\n<\/span>Let me be full, let me be empty.<\/span>
\n<\/span>Let me have all things, let me have nothing.<\/span>
\n<\/span>I freely and fully surrender all things to your glory and service.<\/span>
\n<\/span>And now, O wonderful and holy God, Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer, You are mine, and I am yours.<\/span>
\n<\/span>So be it.<\/span>
\n<\/span>And the covenant which I have made on earth, let it also be made in heaven.<\/span>
\n<\/span>Amen.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Return to ePray<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Listen to this episode<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n<\/section>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Welcome. Our theme is Unity & Community. Allow God to speak to you through this guided prayer…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":96,"featured_media":2428,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":true,"footnotes":""},"categories":[91],"tags":[111,110],"class_list":["post-2435","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-epray","tag-joy","tag-november"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/yfc.ca\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2435","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/yfc.ca\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/yfc.ca\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yfc.ca\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/96"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yfc.ca\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2435"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/yfc.ca\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2435\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yfc.ca\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2428"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/yfc.ca\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2435"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yfc.ca\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2435"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yfc.ca\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2435"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}