How to Start the Day with Pen and Paper

Today I want to walk you through a morning of journaling from the heart, to the heart of God. Are you ready?

You will need your journal, and a pen. You will need your Bible, and whatever reading plan you follow, or Scripture you are meditating on for today.

You may have a beverage, but usually my coffee grows cold as I set my pen to writing my heart to God.

It will be best if you can sit in a quiet place, however that looks in your current circumstance. The Holy Spirit is flexible, but I am easily distracted, so I try and get in a quiet as possible place with minimal distractions – away from sparkly things and things that are good, but sidetrack me from my main focus which is coming into God’s presence and hearing Him clearly. You’ll have to identify these for yourself. Let me just say that the more things you have to carry into your quiet time with God may hinder not help you deepen your knowledge and understanding of Him. Apply the Less of Me, More of Jesus philosophy to this focused, set apart time. This requires discernment, self-understanding and recognizing your own weaknesses and tendencies. Sometimes what’s OK for some might not be OK for you or me. The Holy Spirit is fully able to make clear to us as we seek the Lord those things which may be hindrances – though they may be good and harmless for use in other contexts and times. He does so for me, and I adjust accordingly.

OK…let’s begin.

Step by step respond with your pen, as you feel led. Read through first and then see if this feels like a good way to start your day with pen and paper. Maybe you already do something similar. I hope this helps if you feel a bit lost when you seek the lord with pen and paper.

Let’s turn to a fresh page in our journal and thank God for a new day.

Let’s offer Him praise worthy of His name.

Let’s offer Him our confessions…

and ask for His forgiveness and continued favor.

Let’s give Him every desire of our heart, our worries, fears, dreams, hopes…leaving all at His feet.

Let us be still. Let us wait.

Let’s LISTEN to Him, for Him, through Him. By His grace and for His glory.

Let’s read, ruminate and reflect on His Holy Word.

Let’s study Scripture and meditate on passages the Holy Spirit brings to our attention.

Let’s trust the One True Living God for all we see and don’t see, for all we understand now and all we have yet to understand.

Let’s respond in a yielded will and obedient heart to what Jesus reveals to us.

Let’s rejoice for we are His people!

I’ll be honest here. I often go back and forth in my quiet times between the writing and talking out loud. I’m sure when I do this outside on the patio in Summer, the neighbors must think I am loony if they see me talking to the empty chair beside me. I imagine them peeking around the trees as I make my emotional pleas, trying to get a glimpse of this invisible guest I am expressively conversing with. Well…hopefully not, but absolutely possible. Because this is not a rote type experience, sometimes I may weep, or be angry, or flip back and forth between confessions and praises and thankfulness. My time with the Lord is as real as when I am sitting with my BFF. Because though He is unseen, He is ever present. But especially, I am ushered into His presence when I take time to meet Him with my pen and paper – in my journal, in the morning. For me, the act of writing becomes the vehicle which facilitates focus, clarity and intimacy in my prayer life.

How about you? Do you find journaling to be a facilitator in your prayer experience? Have you found new intimacy with the Lord through journaling? Is there a question I can answer for you about journaling or intimacy with Jesus today ? Just let me know.

You might like some of the other articles I’ve written on this topic, including the series Journaling Your Journey with Jesus.

Thanks for stopping by today!