Jesus, from Matthew 12:36-37 Kingdom New Testament

Their speech – and remember that they had just accused Jesus of black magic – will show what’s really in their hearts. Casual words always reveal deep attitudes; Jesus said it long before Sigmund Freud did (in the famous ‘Freudian slip’, the secret someone is trying to hide pops out of their mouth before they can stop it). As a result, casual words will be used on the day of judgment as a reliable indicator of what really matters, the state of the heart.

N.T. Wright, Matthew for Everyone

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Prayer journaling can be any place you record your conversations with God.  However, by setting up a few standards, you can avoid the self-centeredness and participate in a genuine conversation.  I developed this scripture-led method as a means of praying through my daily reading of scripture.

1. Set a time and place
   When Jesus was teaching his disciples to pray, he told to “go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen.”  Andrew Murray in With Christ in the School of Prayer expounds on this, saying: “the first thing the Lord teaches His disciples is that they must have a secret place for prayer; every one must have some solitary spot where he can be alone with his God. Every teacher must have a schoolroom.”  Decide on a time of day, and a location you can be or a regular basis.  For me, this is every morning, as soon as my coffee is ready, at a desk in my bedroom.
2. Have a scripture reading plan
   A plan for reading scripture is a “pulley” that helps me live out the discipline.  A lot of people try to read through the whole Bible in a year.  I find this daunting, and seldom at meditative as I’d like.  I usually focus on a book like the Psalms, or genre, like the Gospels.  I read anywhere from a paragraph to a chapter.  The important thing is, every morning, I know exactly what I’m supposed to be reading.
3. Read through the passage as many times as necessary
   Think of this as a miniature Lectio Divina.  Read the scripture through once, trying to gain an understanding of its overall trajectory.  Read it again, looking for any words or phrases that stand out to you.
4. Write down the word, phrase, or verse that sticks out to you the most
   Choose one phrase that stood out to you and write it down.  Don’t write too much.  It can get overwhelming to copy it all long hand.  You are going to be dialoguing with this statement, so you don’t want to take on too much.
5. Write a letter to God
   Respond to the passage by writing a letter to God.  Tell him about how the passage made you feel.  Did the passage remind you of a blessing that you want to thank God for?  Did you see a promise in that you are waiting for God to fulfill in your life?  It is very important to be 100% honest in your letter.  Eugene Peterson say’s”prayer is not ‘being nice before God,’ it is bringing our whole selves before him.”  We do not need to impress God with formal language or fancy writing.  No one will ever read this.  Say what needs to be said.  My prayer journal includes confessions I have been scared to share out loud.  I use language that would probably make you blush. Don’t worry.  God’s pretty big.  He can take it.

Do you keep a prayer journal?  What other regular practices help you become more like Christ?

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I know of nothing darker in scripture, and nothing better to ruminate on the day after our Lord’s death.  Please take a moment to read it all.

LORD, you are the God who saves me;
day and night I cry out to you.
May my prayer come before you;
turn your ear to my cry.

I am overwhelmed with troubles
and my life draws near to death.
I am counted among those who go down to the pit;
I am like one without strength.
I am set apart with the dead,
like the slain who lie in the grave,
whom you remember no more,
who are cut off from your care.

You have put me in the lowest pit,
in the darkest depths.
Your wrath lies heavily on me;
you have overwhelmed me with all your waves.
You have taken from me my closest friends
and have made me repulsive to them.
I am confined and cannot escape;
my eyes are dim with grief.

I call to you, LORD, every day;
I spread out my hands to you.
Do you show your wonders to the dead?
Do their spirits rise up and praise you?
Is your love declared in the grave,
your faithfulness in Destruction?
Are your wonders known in the place of darkness,
or your righteous deeds in the land of oblivion?

But I cry to you for help, LORD;
in the morning my prayer comes before you.
Why, LORD, do you reject me
and hide your face from me?

From my youth I have suffered and been close to death;
I have borne your terrors and am in despair.
Your wrath has swept over me;
your terrors have destroyed me.
All day long they surround me like a flood;
they have completely engulfed me.
You have taken from me friend and neighbor—
darkness is my closest friend.

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