I homeschool four children. By the end of the day, the kitchen table is messy! It’s usually covered with books, paint, snacks, lunch, and leftovers from an experiment.
Before I can even set the table for dinner, we have to clear it off.
I’ll come back to that.
The Unload
The majority of my prayer time is like a giant brain dump. I write out all that is on my mind and place it into his hands- my concerns, worries, requests and frustrations from the day.
I’ve done this for years and I highly recommend practicing this for yourself. However, if that is the majority of my prayer time, I leave very little room for God to speak to me!
Don’t get me wrong. I trust God to speak to me while I write. I do often pause to ponder. And I’m not afraid to sit a moment to digest some Bible reading or let the Holy Spirit convict me, but none of that is the kind of listening I’m talking about.
Most of us believe that God speaks, but we rely on Him to speak to us throughout the day- through his Word, through others, through the radio, etc. This is all fine and good, but what about actively listening to Him and taking the time to
be
still
and wait
on Him to speak!
For so long I’ve thought my time of journaling was quality time with God. But that time of unloading is equivalent to clearing off a cluttered table at the end of the day. In other words, unloading my thoughts is just the preparation for my time with God.
It’s only after I do this that I can then enter into being still and quiet before him.
It’s as if I’ve been saying, ‘Now that the table is ready, we can all go to bed!’ Meanwhile, we haven’t eating anything!
“Be still and know that I am God.”
Psalm 46:10
The practice of stilling our mind and hearts before God is rare for most believers. It is hard to be still. It can easily take hours to calm one’s mind.
As you enter into your prayer times this week, go beyond clearing off the table. Enter into a time where you can be truly still, calm, and know that he is God. This is where the meal is.
Try this:
1. Unload your thoughts from the day. 1 Peter 5:7 “Cast all your anxiety on Him, for he cares for you.”
2. As your unloading comes to an end, ask God to help you calm your heart and mind. And wait. Psalm 46:10 “Be still and know that I am God.”
Tip: Singing out loud helps me to focus my heart and mind on Him.
3. Ask Jesus to speak to you and encourage you with his Spirit. Pray to silence all other voices in Jesus’ name. Pray from Psalm 139:23-24 “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
Tip: I’m prone to think of my ‘to-do’ list when things are quiet. I keep a post-it nearby where I jot down ‘to-do’s’ as they come. This way I feel freed up to forget about it in the moment because I know I can go back to the list when I’m done.
4. Write down anything that comes to mind. At the closing of your time, ask the Holy Spirit to confirm all that he spoke to you.
