WALKING THE FATHER'S HEART LABYRINTH
At the Healing Presence Christian Retreat, Point Pleasant, PE
As told by Jim Wilson in 2023
For hundreds of years, Christians have used the labyrinth as a spiritual tool to draw closer to God. Using the labyrinth involves moving one's body and opening one's heart to Jesus. All you have to do is follow the path and you will find the centre. There are no dead ends but a continuous flow of movement from left to right to left until the journeyman reaches the centre. This engages both the left and right brain and is therefore both a rational and an intuitive journey. A "typical" labyrinth experience involves preparing oneself at the threshold, following the single path to the centre, spending time communing with God at the centre, following the same pathway out to the threshold and then responding to the experience. It is often helpful for the person to journal his or her experience walking the labyrinth.
If this is your first encounter with a labyrinth, you may wonder, "What is the correct way for me to do this?" Just relax! Pray on the labyrinth the way you like to pray in other places. Have a conversation with God about the things that matter most to you. At the entrance or threshold we have placed a small container filled with beach stones. If you wish, you can pick up a stone which symbolizes a burden that you are currently carrying. In the centre, if you are ready, you can lay down the stone at the foot of the cross. Often, the Holy Spirit reveals things to you that are very precious and you experience a feeling of peace.
Others have found it helpful to offer words and gestures of praise to God on the way in and to present their prayer requests to God on the way out. There is no "right" way to pray, just as there is no "right" way to pray the labyrinth. Some find it helps to meditate on a Scripture verse on the way in, such as "Thy will be done". Another simple way to pray the labyrinth is to pray for others on the way in, enjoy God's presence in the centre, and pray for yourself on your way back towards the threshold.
The word "labyrinth" is not found in the Bible, but themes of following God's way, spiritual journeys, and enjoying God's presence—all central to labyrinth experiences—are found throughout Scripture. Two verses that can be used while walking the labyrinth are "You show me the path of life, In Your presence there is fullness of joy" (Psalm 16:11) and Jesus' words, "I am the way, the truth and the life" (John 14:6).
Barbara likes to describe The Father's Heart Labyrinth as a metaphor of a believer's spiritual journey into the Heart of God. One unusual feature of its design has the walker proceeding toward the centre, being within reach of the centre, until the path veers away from the centre almost to the outside. This symbolizes what sometimes happens in the Christian life when negative life events, such as a death of a loved one, cause the person to fall away from God—to be in a "desert place" where God's presence feels distant. However, in time the pathway turns again and the believer is drawn right into the Heart of God!
God is blessing the use of the Father's Heart Labyrinth. Many are being drawn closer to Jesus, experiencing healing and gaining spiritual clarity as they pray on its path.