Renewal in Christ: Athanasius on the Christian Life

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Renewal in Christ: Athanasius on the Christian Life

minutes. Perhaps try it out with a friend. Although there are many ways to tell the story of Scripture, one helpful way is to think of the Bible has having four chapters. • Creation • Fall • Redemption • New Creation A second spiritual practice is to daily read the Psalms. The Psalms are the prayerbook of the Bible. And as Athanasius teaches us, there is a psalm for every circumstance. The Psalms teach us that every emotion and every situation is an opportunity to connect with God. And when we do not know what to pray, the Psalms teach us how to pray. They give language for the soul, whether lament, praise, requests, or hope. There are a variety of ways to build a regular practice of praying the psalms. I recommend one practice that has been transformative in my life. I read the same psalm every day for one week (along with the other Scripture I am reading). What makes this a powerful experience for me is that each day I read and meditate on the psalm, it sinks deeper into my soul. My heart shifts from a posture of learning from the psalm early in the week to reflecting on and praying the psalm later in the week. As we daily reflect on God’s word, we too will be able to say, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Ps 119:105). Prayer and Fasting When faced with spiritual warfare or temptation, Athanasius teaches us (through the example of Antony)