Journaling helps me keep track of the interactive journey and the lessons I have learned from digging into God’s Word. When I enter into God’s Word, I meet so many people who have given me strength, direction, and hope. These lessons and teaching moments come from my friends, Daniel, Joshua, Nehemiah, Esther, Jabez, Enoch…, I love to record their thoughts and their actions and apply them to my present life. Journaling thru God’s Word has been one of the greatest adventures I have ever experienced. When I journal, the Holy Spirit begins to exhale key lessons from my friends past to my present life. Watching and observing the life assignments of certain men and women after 2000 years still speak to me today. Enoch walked with God every day. Esther put her own needs on hold while she saved the Jewish race. Moses stepped out of retirement and his comfort zone to lead millions of Israelites to the Promised Land.
As Jesus points out to Martha, only one thing is necessary for our lives. To daily drop our busy lives filled with activities and preparations and set aside time for Jesus. The task can wait. Housework can wait. Dinner can wait. For eternity there is one thing that can’t wait. To daily spend quiet, reflective time alone with our Lord. Spending time at the feet of the Savior and growing your faith will possibly save your family, your marriage, your ministry, your health and your future.
As I spend time in God’s Word, I love to journal what God is teaching me. By journaling, I am not only hearing God’s Word I am stating what I have observed and how I will live differently because of what I have just read.
At the heart of journaling is an easy-to-remember acrostic: SOAP
S = Scripture
O = Observation
A = Application
P = Prayer
As I am reading thru God’s Word, I pray that God will give me one scripture in particular that speaks to my heart. He always seems to highlight one verse or thought that momentarily stops me in my tracks or seems to shine out from the page. He says, “This is for you – this is a promise you can hold to” or “This instruction will get you back on track. Whatever the scripture is, I write in down my journal.
The observation is a time I listen for God to speak.
As I meditate on the scripture God has highlighted for me, I make some notes. I write down in my journal what is happening, who’s affected and what’s taking place. When I do this, it increases my comprehension of the passage and helps me develop observation skills.
After I have carefully observed what the scripture says, I then begin to write how out I will be different today as a result of what I have just read. Application answers the question, “How does this verse or thought apply to me?” When I spend time in God’s Word it is not for head knowledge, I am reading to hear God’s voice and apply it to my life. Application is what seals God’s Word to my heart. Application states how I will live differently because of what I have just read.
Prayer is the final stage of my journal entry. I like to finish my time in the Word with a prayer asking God to help me apply what I have just learned. I also love to thank Him for the incredible power of His Word!
