Today begins our third week of praying. If you are part of this - I am grateful! Here are some thoughts I have to share with you.
- Make a new beginning today. God makes all things new. This includes our relationship with Him.
- Prayer is keeping company with God. (James Houston) God desires and loves your companionship.
- Plan your week. Identify when and where you will take your five 1-hour times of prayer.
- Be led by the Spirit in these times. I suggest you meditate on Psalm 23 and John chapters 14-15-16. These texts are directly related to this experience and the teaching I gave two weeks ago. If you want to re-listen to the teaching, go here. (Here is a post I made on biblical meditation some years ago.)
- If your mind wanders during this time, note where it wanders to. Write it down in your journal. Your mind will always wander to something like a burden. See 1 Peter 5:7 on what to do when this happens.
- When God speaks to you, write it down in your journal.
- There is no "correct" way to do a spiritual journal. A spiritual journal is a record of the voice and activity of God in your life. God is not concerned with how good a writer you are. When I instruct seminary students I tell them to simply write, in their own words, what God says to them. Write from your own heart. Things like grammar, punctuation, and spelling are not important to God when it comes to keeping a spiritual journal. (Note: some people draw pictures to express what God is saying and doing in them.)
- Pray for others who are doing this six weeks of prayer and spiritual formation.
