Journaling My Way A Closer Walk

The first time I experienced the Holy Spirit speaking to me through my writing was many years ago. I met with a small group of friends early in the morning to journal together. We met at a coffee shop with our Bibles and our journals. We each grabbed a cup of coffee and sat around a little table outside in the fresh air. Our church at the time was encouraging the SOAP method of journaling.

Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer.

In case you've never heard of this method, I will quickly explain. You read a piece of scripture and make a few observations about it. Observations are any cultural norms that you know about, customs, or when this passage took place, anything that would help make sense of the time period and what the author was trying to say. It is merely putting into words what is happening or what is being taught.

And then prayerfully, you write how this applies to your life. Take a few moments to see what God has to say about what you are reading and writing. This is the place where God most often speaks. I start to understand how this applies to me. Sometimes it is an answer to prayer. Many times what I write changes the way I think. My thoughts start to line up with His thoughts. Paradigm shifts take place. Nothing has changed, and yet everything has changed. Today, as I am writing, the Hymn, In the Garden, is singing in my mind.

IN THE GARDEN

Verse 1

I come to the garden alone,

While the dew is still on the roses;

And the voice I hear,

Falling on my ear,

The Son of God discloses.

Chorus:

And he walks with me

And He talks with me,

And He tells me I am His own;

And the joy we share as we tarry there,

None other has ever known.

Verse 2

He speaks and the sound of His voice

Is so sweet the birds hush their singing;

And the melody that He gave to me

Within my heart is ringing.

Chorus

Verse 3

I'd stay in the garden with Him,

Tho' the night around me be falling,

But He bids me go;

Thro' the voice of woe

His voice to me is calling.

This is how I feel when I write!

Before I leave the garden, I write a prayer thanking God for His revelation and His Truth that He has revealed. I thank Him for being my God and spending time with me.

That morning as I was reading, one or two verses really stood out to me. I wasn't really sure why, but those are the ones that I decided to write about. What was amazing to me was as I started to write, it was as if the Truth came alive. It was more like I was transcribing what God was saying as He was saying it. These weren't my thoughts or my ideas; this is what God was revealing to me. I have never forgotten that moment. Last year, when God asked me to write every day where I saw Him, I knew that was for me so, He could speak to me every day because so often he speaks to me in my writing.

This year as I've been writing, I have not been as consistent as I would like. I've not been as consistent as God would like. Not in a legalistic, this is what you're supposed to do kind of way. It's more like He has things he wants to tell me, and if I don't write, I miss them. Writing is for me, for my benefit. I feel close to God when I'm writing. I've noticed most when I don't write and post something, I don't feel the same. That week, the peace and joy and security I usually experience in Christ is a little far away. It's like being in a long-distance relationship. I live in one state, and he lives in another.

The insecurities and distance are hard on a relationship. Talking on the phone, even with FaceTime, isn't the same as in person. When I write, it's as if God is sitting beside me, walking me through everything I should say. I feel better. I can sense Him near me. There is a peace and calm I am immersed in as I take the time to write. God still speaks to me every day, whether I write or not. But, when I don't write, these are just beautiful ideas. Comforting thoughts. When I sit down and take the time to write it out, to put pen to paper, it becomes Truth. I am immersed in it. Before I write, I am like a dry sponge trying to soak up a little bit of moisture left on a wet countertop. When I write, I'm immersed. That dry sponge is in the bath. The sponge is in the water, and the water is in the sponge. Totally filled and totally surrounded.

So today, I encourage you, whether you're a writer or not, to get quiet with God, put pen to paper, and let Him speak. Who knows what he might tell you. And the effects of what He says in these moments can be life-changing. If nothing else, you will experience His presence and His love.