My Life in God's Project, Movement #2: God's Project

Are you wanting to grow closer to God? Do you long to find a personal sense of purpose? Unsure how your spirituality relates to God’s desire to build a world of justice and peace?

My Life in God’s Project is an invitation to spend 30 weeks in daily prayer exploring these questions. This updated, contemporary adaptation of St. Ignatius Loyola’s Spiritual Exercises is a deep dive into discovering how your life fits into God’s Project. This retreat, made in the midst of daily life, will help you grow closer to God, understand God’s desires for you and the world, and better understand who God has called you to be and become. 

Movement Two: God's Project is the third of five sections of My Life in God's Project. This movement, which is designed to be prayed over the course of ten weeks, is the heart of the retreat. It invites you to get to know Jesus more deeply, understand his values, and make a choice to follow him. God's Project can be prayed on its own, or as part of the larger retreat. 

The Spirit of God, the Master, is on me
because God anointed me.
[God] sent me to preach good news to the poor,
heal the heartbroken,
Announce freedom to all captives,
pardon all prisoners.
God sent me to announce the year of [God’s] grace—
a celebration of God’s destruction of our enemies—
and to comfort all who mourn,
To care for the needs of all who mourn in Zion,
give them bouquets of roses instead of ashes,
Messages of joy instead of news of doom,
a praising heart instead of a languid spirit.
Rename them “Oaks of Righteousness”
planted by God to display [God’s] glory.
They’ll rebuild the old ruins,
raise a new city out of the wreckage.
They’ll start over on the ruined cities,
take the rubble left behind and make it new.
You’ll hire outsiders to herd your flocks
and foreigners to work your fields,
But you’ll have the title “Priests of God,”
honored as ministers of our God.
You’ll feast on the bounty of nations,
you’ll bask in their glory.
Because you got a double dose of trouble
and more than your share of contempt,
Your inheritance in the land will be doubled
and your joy go on forever.
—Isaiah 61:1-7 (The Message)