In the Scriptures, God expressed the fountain of His heart through prophetic scribes. Their writings continue to stand as a witness of His everlasting love and promises to humanity. Due to the faithful diligence of a few, the written Word of God speaks to and transforms the hearts of humankind to this day. This week, we’ll talk about hearing the voice of God through His Word and through the practice of journaling.
Write It Down
“Now go and write down these words. Write them in a book. They will stand until the end of time as a witness.” Isaiah 30:8, NLT
The older I get, the more I need to write things down. I’ve even written appointments on my calendar and missed them because I forgot to look. When I write something down but fail to take it to heart, its presence upon the page is a witness against me: I’m without excuse. However, when I write something down and live by it, my life is the witness and no excuses are necessary.
As a believer, I want to be a positive witness for Christ. I may think my life isn’t noteworthy, but the accounts I write of God’s faithfulness through my joys and hardships can serve as a great source of inspiration and hope for me as well as those I love.
I recently came across my childhood journal. I find it amusing that there are only four lines allotted for each day’s entry. Since my social calendar was even more abbreviated then, I was able to stay within the allotted space and managed to pack parts of two years within its covers. Most of my entries are run-of-the-mill: trips to 
the grocery store with my parents, catching ten minnows in the creek with a friend, the combination to my school locker. However, tucked among the predictable details was a catastrophic event that changed the course of history and halted my age of naivety―November 22, 1963, the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. In spite of subsequent empty pages, that was the final entry in my girlhood journal.
I resumed journaling in the late eighties and now have drawers of journals spanning several decades. They shelter predictable as well as unpredictable portions of my life. As I look back through their pages, I’m reminded of God’s faithfulness and encouraged as I face new challenges. I know that what God did before, He can do again.
Most of us approach life with a preconceived idea of how we want things to turn out. When life takes an unexpected turn, it’s easy to get discouraged. Journaling helps me step back and gain God’s perspective as I focus on His goodness instead of my circumstances.
A good way to begin journaling is to write a letter to God. Water doesn’t flow from a faucet that is turned off. Someone must turn it on. Words that start as a trickle soon develop into phrases that expand into paragraphs and flow into pages. As you pour out your thanksgiving, praise, confessions, and petitions, your words will open up a pipeline of communication. Once you’ve written your letter, wait for God’s reply. Then write it down.
Are you ready to get started? Grab a journal and pen and let’s meet here tomorrow.
“Speak [Lord], your servant is listening.” 1 Samuel 3:10, NIVIn His Love,
Starr
Samuel in today’s text positioned himself near the ark of God in the temple, we also must position ourselves in God’s presence. It sounds simple enough, but relentless distractions creep in and attempt to crowd out our intended time with Him. If we persist in our commitment to focus our hearts and minds on Christ through regular times of Bible study and prayer, our ability to discern God’s voice will increase.
